Harry Potter And The World Within
by BlackenedGass
Summary: When something unexpected interrupts the flow, can anyone be expected to survive? This Harry Potter crossover with Doctor Who takes place between books 5 and 6 and could be considered an alternative version of the latter.
1. The Cave Of Rocks

**HARRY POTTER**

**AND THE WORLD WITHIN**

-Prologue-

_The Cave Of Rocks_

All was quiet on the beach. The only sound for miles around was the sound the sea as it threw itself at the rocks time and time again. It was not a beach that could be ventured across easily, with many craggy rocks, some of which tilted with the slightest addition of weight. Once dark, the beach was a big no-no.

The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of a loud crash, and a triple-decker bus broke from the clouds less than gracefully. It flew through the air and began to descend towards the beach at an erratic rate. Just as it seemed that it would be dashed to pieces on the rocks, all of the ones in its path suddenly leapt out of the way, leaving a clear surface for the bus to land on. The bus landed with a bump and came gently to a halt.

For a moment the beach was still once more as the bus idled. Then there was the sound of screams from within, which were abruptly cut off with two loud _bang_s, accompanied by two green flashes of light. The engine then clicked off and the doors opened. Two cloaked figures, their faces obscured by their hoods, descended. They looked around to get their bearings and then set off across the beach. They moved in silence, until they came across a break in the rocks, where water flowed out of a large fissure in the cliff. Without even hesitating, the two figures jumped into the water, swimming up into the fissure.

Inside was a dark cavern, an apparent dead-end. Ignoring their now soaking clothes, the two figures went into action. One of them, a woman, pulled out a surprisingly dry parchment and unrolled it, studying it intensely and occasionally reading from it out loud. The other figure, a man, followed her instructions until he was in front of a particular part of the wall. 'There, it's there!' Said the woman.

The man nodded and drew his sleeve back as she stepped forward. She reached within the cloak and pulled out a knife. The man pulled his sleeve back and winced as the woman plunged the knife in. Blood seeped out of the wound, and he allowed it to run across the ground. A bright archway appeared and the rock behind it vanished, allowing the two figures to pass through. They continued to walk in silence until they came across a huge cavern. It was mostly occupied by a huge lake, in the middle of which sat a small island, a single basin sat glinting through the gloom.

"So it's true… the location of the one of the Dark Lord's mysterious artefacts is located here" whispered the man reverently.

"Yes, but that is not why we are here!" replied the woman testily. She pulled out the parchment again and read it intently. Then she looked around the cavern. Finally she pointed at a seemingly random sheet of rock. "There!"

The man pulled out his wand and pointed at the wall.

"_EXPLOSIVO!_" (1)

A jet of blue light shot out of the wand and flew into the wall. It exploded instantly, allowing the two of them to proceed down a new opening. For several minutes they walked down a long corridor in silence, eventually coming to a long staircase that spiralled upwards. Neither of the two figures showed any sign of fear as to where they could be heading, as if they already knew.

The top of the staircase finally came into view and they progressed up into a large cavern decorated with various furnishings and dominated by a huge pit in the centre of the room filled with a thick black substance. Impossibly, a small writing desk sat overlooking the pit. Sat at the desk was a middle-aged woman with long blonde hair, writing on a piece of paper intently. At the sound of their entering she spun round, a look of utter outrage and horror on her face. "What is this? How dare y-"

"_Stupefy!_" yelled the man. A jet of red light hit the blond writer, striking her so hard that she was thrown backwards over the desk, plunging over the edge and into the pit.

"NO!" bellowed the woman "What were you thinking?"

For amount the man too was frozen, horrified at what he had done. "It... it doesn't matter, we can fix it! Just like everything else!"

The woman took a moment to compose herself and nodded. She crossed over to the desk and slowly, almost reverently, picked up the quill on the desk. "At last!" she breathed. "The answer to everything!" She beckoned the man over. "Come, there is much to be done." A faraway look entered her eyes. "Evil to be defeated, lives to be restored…"

**APPENDIX**

(1) This is one of many culture references I like to slip in here and there. If you can spot all of them then reward yourself with a huge pat on the back! But not too hard!


	2. Alright, Alright, Stop NAGGING!

-Chapter One-

_Alright, Alright, Stop NAGGING!_

It was a warm, sunny day on Privet Drive in the small town of Little Whinging, where the flowers bloomed and stretched themselves as high as they could in a vain attempt to reach the source of warmth (1), and to all intent and purposes it was perfectly normal neighbourhood in a perfectly normal town, except for one house in particular which had once been home to the Dursleys, except they've moved away from there and don't live there anymore, so let's start again.

It was a cold, dreary day on Holly Road in the small town of Alright, Alright, Stop NAGGING! (2) And the residents were doing what they did best, ignoring each other and wishing they were somewhere else. All residents ignored a particularly run-down looking location where a family known as the Dursleys lived. The Dursley's had apparently been living the good life in Little Whinging before the Grunnings, the drill making company where Vernon Dursley had been working had been shut down under mysterious circumstances and the Dursleys had been forced to move. When asked about it Vernon would splutter out some excuse ("Some fool forgot to pay some bills, nothing to do with me!" was his favourite response), change the subject, and then make a hasty exit. No one was really interested in their plight though, no one asked no one told. That was always the way in Alright, Alright, Stop NAGGING!

The flowers in the garden had long since died but the boy on the sun lounge paid them no heed, concentrating on the newspaper in his hands. His name was Harry Potter and he was a boy quite unlike anyone else in Alright, Alright, Stop NAGGING! For one thing, he was a wizard, but even in the wizarding world he was special, for Harry had been the one to inadvertently defeat one of the most evil wizards known to man, Lord Voldemort. Not long after he had been born Lord Voldemort had attacked Harry's household and killed Harry's parents. However when it came to Harry the spell had rebounded, killing him instantly. Or at least that's what SHOULD have happened. Somehow, impossibly, he had survived beyond the realms of death as a mere shadow of a shadow.

But two years ago he had returned, and now with his army steadily building, the MInistry Of Magic had finally acknowledged it.

_NEW MINISTER URGES EVERYONE TO PAY HEED_

_As the return of You-Know-Who spreads through the community the Ministry of Magic has issued several precautions to help protect them from the Dark Lord._

_"It's for everyone's safety." said Rufus Scrimgeour, the recently appointed successor to Cornelius Fudge. "Now that he has returned the Dark Lord isn't going to be wasting time, and we must make sure we are ready for anything he throws at us."_

_But Scrimgeour's ideas may be too little, too late. Only this morning the house of renowned wand maker Ollivander was found abandoned, with signs indicating a huge fight had taken place there. The Ministry has refused to comment on the situation._

Harry put the _Daily Prophet_ down and stared thoughtfully at the sky. At last everyone seemed to have accepted that Lord Voldemort had returned. But would it be enough? Voldemort had had a whole year of people ignoring the signs, could he be at full strength already? Harry jumped to his feet and wondered around the garden restlessly. He hated being with the Dursleys, even more so this year. He wanted to be there, in the wizarding world, helping people to prepare! He wanted to see his friends, Ron and Hermione, he wanted to speak to Dumbledore. He wanted… he felt a cold emptiness inside. He want to talk to Sirius.

Sirius had been Harry's godfather, and for a long time he had been on the run after becoming one of the few people to break out of the Wizard prison Azkaban. He had been suspected of murdering thirteen people but Harry was one of the few people who had found out the truth. Sirius had not killed those people, but the real murderer had escaped and Sirius had to remain on the run. Now that Voldemort had returned the Ministry had granted him a pardon after the real story finally came out but it had been too late. Sirius had been killed a few months prior defending Harry… when Harry had been lured away from Hogwarts on the pretence of rescuing _him_. Harry had yet to forgive himself for being indirectly responsible for his godfather's death and often found himself imagining one last conversation between himself and Sirius. "_It wasn't your fault, Harry._" he heard him say. "_As long as your safe, that's what matters._"

Harry sighed. No matter how he worded it it still sounded fake. Resignedly he climbed out of the sun lounge and trudged inside for dinner, sitting down at the kitchen table and ignoring his relatives.

"EAT!" screeched Aunt Petunia, a woman. Harry looked down at the unappetising mess on the plate in front of him. Ever since Uncle Vernon had lost his job the Dursley's had to get by on canned food, but unfortunately the only shop in All Right, All Right, Stop NAGGING! sold canned food with the labels removed (3) making every meal an adventure. Harry looked at the plate miserably, his appetite quickly fading. He wasn't the only one.

"What the blazes is that?" cried Uncle Vernon, pointing to the greyish mush in front of him, his face reddening.

"Blueberry custard." said Aunt Petunia irritably. "Eat it all up, Diddykns."

Sitting opposite Uncle Vernon was Harry's cousin, Dudley, a large blonde boy who's favourite past time was to go out and cause trouble with his gang, not that the Dursleys knew that. To them he was an angel who loved school and strived for the best. Ever since the move to All Right, All Right, Stop NAGGING! He had been using any and every excuse to get out of meal times but had come up short tonight. Harry found some amusement in watching Dudley trying to force down the food.

What Harry wanted, more than anything, was to be at the Burrow. Every night he would send Hedwig, his owl, off to the Weasleys politely asking when he could stay, each tome his letters getting slightly more desperate. Even now he found himself getting upstairs and finding Hedwig had returned with a reply…

He blinked and looked around in surprise. He was in his room. He must have eaten his dinner and gone up to bed in a daze, not that the Dursleys would have noticed. With a sigh Harry put his pyjamas on and prepared for bed, automatically checking to see if Hedwig was back. There she was, sitting calmly on top of her cage, holding - holding a letter! Harry eagerly snatched the letter off her, ignoring her indignant hoot, and read it.

_Dear Harry_

_I am quite aware of the letters you have been sending to Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger asking to stay and have taken it upon myself to call round and pick you up myself. I will arrive on friday at 9pm to pick you up and escort you to the Burrow personally. Please be packed and ready to leave at once by the time I arrive._

_I am, yours most sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry's stomach gave a little lurch. This friday… that was today! Harry jumped to his feet and looked around the great mess of his room without really knowing what to do. Deciding to let Hedwig out, he opened the door to her cage. "You can fly to the burrow if you like, they're expecting us." Harry told her. Hedwig hooted in the affirmative and took off, shattering the window as she flew through it. Harry grimaced. Uncle Vernon was going to kill him for forgetting to open the window again. Doing his best to ignore the resulting draught, Harry frantically changed back into his normal clothes and busied himself with his packing. Books and robes were thrown into his trunk at a frantic pace and leaflets from the Ministry of Magic were shoved in so roughly they were torn apart in seconds.

The clanging of the old-fashioned doorbell made Harry jump. It was time! He was just finishing off when he heard the door open downstairs. Two voices could be heard: the deep gruff voice of Uncle Vernon and an unexpected voice… that of Remus Lupin. Confused as to how why he should be here, harry went onto the landing to listen better.

"… here to pickup Harry." Lupin was saying.

Yep, that would explain it. Deciding he should just go with it, Harry grabbed his trunk and began to descend down the stairs.

Lupin, dressed in his usual scruffy attire was talking pleasantly to Uncle Vernon who, despite wearing a dressing gown still looked more well-dressed than Lupin, and was most certainly not talking pleasantly.

" Now look here!" he spluttered in rage and perhaps with a hint of fear mixed in. "You turn up here out of the blue and begin throwing your weight around…"

"I'm not 'throwing my weight around' as you put it," said Lupin calmly. "I'm here, as I said, to pick up Harry." At that moment he turned and his eyes fell on Harry. "Hello Harry, all ready to go?"

"Yes sir, but I thought Dumbledore was…"

"Dumbledore couldn't make it" said Lupin a little too hurriedly. "I was more than happy to come instead. Now, let's make a move shall we?" He produced his wand from his pocket and waved it in the direction of Harry's trunk. Almost immediately it floated into the air and through the door, waiting patiently in the garden. (4)

Uncle Vernon had gone a rather nice shade of purple while all of this was going on. His mouth worked furiously as he tried to force whatever it was he was trying to say out. Finally he swung round to Harry. "Well, go on then!" he roared.

Deciding it was best just to go, Harry stepped outside beside Lupin, who smiled at him warmly. They were just turning to leave when Uncle Vernon got his second wind. "And if you or any of your kind turn up unannounced again I'll… I'll…"

"Yes?" said Lupin, smiling pleasantly.

Vernon faltered, his new-found bravado quickly fading again. After a few more seconds of purple-faced mumbling and stuttering he abruptly slammed the door. Even though they were heading away from the house Harry could hear the sounds of frantic locking up going on from inside.

"Come along Harry, we'd better get on before it's too late" said Lupin.

But Harry couldn't help but have his doubts "Why couldn't Dumbledore pick me up?"

"He… ah… well, an incident was reported a few weeks ago."

"I didn't see it in the paper…" replied Harry.

"No, you wouldn't have done. Dumbledore looked into it personally and ordered it not to be mentioned. He's been getting a lot of authority now that he was proven right about Lord Voldemort."

"What happened?"

Lupin didn't answer for a moment but stopped suddenly, looking around to make sure there was no one nearby. "This should do it. Hold my arm Harry." Slightly confused, Harry took his arm and was about to ask what was happening when he suddenly Lupin twist away from him and suddenly everything went black...

**APPENDIX**

(1) That's what flowers do, right?

(2) The reasons as to why the town is called this are sadly lost to the depths of time a.k.a. the old section of the local library that 's been there since it was built but nobody likes to go into because its so dusty.

(3) This practice is in fact an old tradition in All Right, All Right, Stop Nagging! And dates back to a time before shops when people would remove labels so that any would-be thieves wouldn't be able to tell what they were stealing. The advent of shops had not stopped the practice, much to the dismay of customers.

(4) Very Patient, Trunks are.


	3. After Chapter One, Stupid!

-Chapter Two-

_After Chapter One, Stupid!_

Apparating is, and always will be, an amazing experience, as many people will happily state. Apparating for the FIRST time, however, can be an extremely disorientating experience (1) as Harry found out. After what seemed like an eternity travelling in a whirlwind of colour it abruptly stopped with a loud _CRACK_ and Harry stumbling away, feeling as if his whole body had just been slammed together.

"Ah, sorry about that Harry. Don't worry, it gets a lot smoother." he heard Lupin say.

Harry steadied himself and looked around. He was outside a very familiar house… The Burrow! Happiness leapt up inside of him like a happy thing leaping up. Even though he had been to the Burrow several times now he still got extremely excited when he thought of spending time with the Weasleys. It always felt like he had come home. Lupin began ushering him to the door, looking around keenly. "Best get inside, these days it's not best to be outside after dark." They reached the house and Lupin knocked quickly on the door. After a few moments of silence Harry heard some movement and then heard Mrs. Weasley's nervous voice.

"Who's there?"

"It's me." said Lupin "I'm dropping Harry off."

The door opened instantly, revealing a relieved looking Mrs. Weasley. "Remus! Didn't have any idea how long you'd be!" She began to usher Harry inside. "Come in, come in, it's nice to see you Harry. Are you not coming in Remus?"

Harry looked behind him and saw Lupin still outside. "I can't Molly, I've got to go and see Slughorn."

"Oh, yes, I was forgetting. Will you come back for tea later?"

"Yes, I'll tell you how it goes." At this he glanced at Harry but quickly looked away and apparated away without another word. Harry turned to Mrs. Weasley to ask her who Slughorn was only to find himself being bustled into the room. "Now come in here where it's warm, Harry, and I'll fix you a meal. You must be starving." Harry was about to protest when he realised that despite eating not too long ago he was absolutely famished. (2)

He sat down at the table while Mrs. Weasley busied herself at the stove. "Ron and Hermione have been looking forward to you coming here."

"Hermione's here?"

"Yes, she arrived yesterday." Mrs. Weasley walked over and placed some cutlery on the table. "They'll be thrilled in the morning." She looked out the window and lapsed into silence.

For a full minute neither of them moved or said anything. Harry looked at Mrs. Weasley in growing concern. "Mrs. Weasley?"

Mrs. Weasley shook herself out of her reverie and looked around n confusion. "Sorry Harry, I was… was… was just trying to think of what I had to do. I'll… er…" she looked at Harry for help.

"Fixing a meal?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes!" she laughed and went back to the stove. With a wave of her wand several chopped vegetables leapt into a large iron pot which began to bubble contentedly.

"So who's Slughorn?" asked Harry.

"Hmm?" Mrs. Weasley shook herself awake. "He was a teacher at Hogwarts for a while. Dumbledore is hoping to get him to resume his old position."

Old position? That could only mean… "Defence Against The Dark Arts?"

Mrs. Weasley grunted noncommittally, staring at the pot and waving her wand at it half-heartedly, as if she wasn't sure what to do. Harry look at her worriedly. The return of Voldemort seemed to have affected her more than others. She must be worrying about her family all of the time. Harry glanced at the gigantic clock that displayed the locations of the all of the Weasley family and was alarmed to see that aside from Percy's hand, which seemed to have unscrewed itself and was lying on the floor, all of the hands were pointing at _mortal peril_.

"It's always like that now." said Mrs. Weasley, giving Harry a plate of soup so quickly that he jumped and nearly spilt it. "Just have to get used to it I suppose." she sighed. Harry wanted to comfort her but he was starving and tucked in. The resulting silence was broken a few minutes later by a small knocking on the door. Instantly Mrs. Weasley was on her feet. "Oh dear, is it time already? Harry dear, could you finish that upstairs? You're in Fred and George's old room."

"Is this to do with the -" began Harry, but Mrs. Weasley cut him off.

"I'm sorry Harry, but what we have to discuss is extremely important. Goodnight."

Harry wanted to protest further. Surely after, everything that had happened at Hogwarts, he should be allowed to be a part of things? But the look Mrs. Weasley gave him was final, and he reluctantly complied.

Fred and George's room, despite no longer being occupied, was full of unmarked boxes which contained several items Harry could only guess at. He was briefly tempted to have a look inside but decided not to. Knowing Fred and George, those items would probably be lethal in the wrong hands. Thankfully his trunk was also present in the room. Part of Harry wanted to go to straight to sleep, but another part was keen to hear what the members of the Order were saying. Why the secrecy? Was it about him? Perhaps he could sneak to the kitchen door and listen… With only a vague idea of sorts Harry left his room, determined to listen in in some way. It wasn't too late just now… He stopped short on the landing. Come to think of it, where was everyone? He listened intently. The house was dead quiet, the air completely still. Yet he had just left Mrs. Weasley with someone just a few minutes ago…

As if on cue, He heard a door open on the floor above and heard a familiar voice call "Is someone there?" Harry grinned and said back as loudly as he dared. "It's me, Ron." There was a strangled cry and a flurry of footsteps before his best friend Ron appeared in view, grinning broadly. "How long you been here?"

"Just got here" replied Harry, also grinning. After months of being trapped at the Dursley's it really did feel good to see Ron again.

"Hermione's here as well, I don't she's asleep yet. She'll be thrilled to see you!" said Ron, grabbing Harry and dragging him up the stairs before Harry could protest. Ron stopped at a door Harry vaguely remembered as Percy's old room and knocked on it furiously. "Hermione! Harry's here!" There was a sound of frantic movement from inside and the door was flung open and Harry suddenly found himself nearly falling over as Hermione barrelled into him. "You didn't tell us you were coming!" She cried loudly, and Harry frantically shushed her. "I've only just got here." he whispered. "Don't be too loud, I don't want to them to hear us downstairs." Ron and Hermione looked at him in confusion. "Your mother's meeting with someone downstairs" Harry said to Ron. "I think it's to do with the Order."

Ron's eyes widened in excitement. "Really? Wow. They've been going all secretive again, Dumbledore's orders I think." He flung his hands up hastily at Harry's angry look. "We haven't been told anything at all, not even seen Dumbledore at all this summer." Harry believed him, but it was still odd. After their discussion following the events of last year Harry had got the impression that Dumbledore would be more open to Harry and include him in his plans. What had changed?

"Hang on, give me a minute, I think I've got some things we could use." Said Ron, turning and running up the stairs towards his room. Left alone, Hermione looked at Harry sceptically. "Are you sure it's important? Now that everyone knows that Voldemort is back why should they be so secretive?"

"I don't know." Harry admitted. "But there's some odd things going on. Dumbledore was supposed to bring me here tonight." He told Hermione everything that had happened. Even after he had finished Hermione still looked undecided. "I'll admit that does sound odd but I'm sure there's a good reason behind it all." She stared at him in silence for a few seconds as if trying to say something. "I hope you're ok Harry, after… well, you know…"

Harry's heart sank. She wanted to talk about Sirius. In all of the confusion of being invited to the burrow unexpectedly Harry hadn't really thought about Sirius at all, and now was not the right time to discuss it. Fortunately, Ron's sudden return seemed to put Hermione off the subject. "Been keeping these around just in case." said Ron, holding up what appeared to be three pieces of very long, flesh coloured string. Harry grinned. Fred and George's Extendable Ears: Able to hear conversations up to 20 metre away and can listen through anything up to and including a block of concrete, now available from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for as little as five galleons a pack! (3) Heading to the top of the stairs, Harry placed the Extendable Ear to his own ear, pointed it at the kitchen door and found he could suddenly hear Mrs. Weasley's voice as clear as day.

"… I must say though, it's all very odd Arthur, Dumbledore suddenly changing things around so much."

"Well, you know how it is Molly," said another voice that Harry recognised as Arthur Weasley's. "No one seems to know Voldemort quite like Dumbledore. I'm sure all of these unusual orders make sense to him. We just don't know the full story behind everything."

"Well I can understand that, but what about tonight? He said he'd pick Harry up and then tells Remus to do it at the last minute without any kind of-" a knock on the door interrupted Mrs. Weasley. "That'll be him now. Its open!" She called. Harry heard the door open and the sound of someone coming in and sitting down heavily. "Tea, Remus?"

"Thanks Molly, I could definitely use one." Harry heard Lupin sigh heavily. "No luck with Slughorn I'm afraid. There was no changing his mind."

Arthur groaned. "I knew Dumbledore should have gone. I bet if he'd taken Harry like he said he was going to…"

A chill ran through Harry's body. So Dumbledore _had_ intended to involve Harry in his plans. Then what had happened? He turned his attention back to what they were saying.

"Arthur, we've got no choice." Lupin was saying. "I'll come with you to the Ministry tomorrow, we'll have to speak to Rufus Scrimgeour. Is it alright if i come round tomorrow morning, Molly?"

"Of course!" replied Mrs. Weasley. "I'm sure we'll all be up early, what with the O.W.L.s arriving tomorrow…"

But whatever else they were saying quickly became irrelevant as Hermione emitted a high pitch squeak and was quickly shushed by Ron. "I'd forgotten it was O.W.L.s tomorrow!" she gasped.

"Be quiet, they'll hear you!" hissed Ron. Hermione nodded and forced herself to calm down, but the damage was done. "What was that?" Lupin was saying. "I thought I heard a noise."

The few seconds before Mrs. Weasley opened the door and looked through it gave enough time for Harry, Ron and Hermione to look at each other in horror, and then scramble frantically for their rooms. They made it just in time and when Mrs. Weasley looked up to all intent and purposes no one had been there.

For a few minutes Harry sat in his room in silence, waiting for Ron and Hermione to emerge from their respective rooms. It soon became apparent though that they weren't going to. Harry sighed. There probably wouldn't have been anything else to have learnt anyway. Harry got into his pyjamas without really paying attention to what he was doing, his mind was still a whirlwind of confusion. Just how much did Dumbledore intend to involve him? Why was he suddenly being so secretive, even to the Order? Would Harry be able to speak to him at Hogwarts this year? Harry was so caught up in these thoughts that he wasn't even aware of putting his glasses in the forgotten bowl of cold vegetable soup beside his bed as he slipped into bed. _I wonder how I did in my O.W.L.s _he thought sleepily as he drifted into sleep.

**Appendix**

(1) It is an unspoken rule that you take an airbag of some description along with you in such situations. The reason it is unspoken is because after their first trip most people aren't really in the mood for talking.

(2) Blueberry custard is not especially filling.

(3) Currently on a 2-for-1 deal! Simply go find them in Diagon Ally or log onto their website at [this website address can only be read by someone from the Wizarding World].


	4. What Owls?

-Chapter Three-

_What Owls?_

Although he thought he'd be woken up by the usual hustle and bustle of the Weasley household Harry was surprised when he woke up to find the house utterly silent. Had they all gone out or something? Harry sat up and started to put his glasses on, before noticing that they were covered in cold soup and recoiled with a cry.

Almost instantly he became aware of footsteps outside his room. They stopped and there was a knock on the door. "Are you okay in there?" asked a confused voice.

"Yes, fine thanks." replied Harry, shaking the soup off his glasses and struggling into his clothes. He opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Ginny, Ron's younger sister, looking at him with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Hello Harry, are you okay in there?"

"Ah, yes, just a slight… erm…" Harry trailed off and tried to wipe what was left of the soup off his glasses on his sleeve. Ginny laughed, and Harry was suddenly struck by how lovely she looked when she laughed… "You'd better come down anyway," said Ginny, bringing Harry back to reality. "The O.W.L.s should be here any time soon."

O.W.L.s! Harry was wide awake in an instant, all other thoughts pushed from his mind. "How do you think you did?" asked Ginny conversationally as they headed down.

"Okay, I think. Not as well as I could have done, though, I bet…"

They arrived in the kitchen to find it in an air of quiet anticipation. Hermione was a nervous wreck, constantly leaping up from her seat and scanning the horizon through the window. Ron was trying to make out that it was no big deal for him despite getting increasingly pale, and Mrs. Weasley wandered around the kitchen, half-heartedly attempting various chores, but her heart wasn't in it. Harry sat down at the table and helped himself to some leftover toast. "So where is everyone?" asked Harry, desperate to take his mind off the incoming O.W.L.s.

"Arthur's at work." said Mrs. Weasley "He wanted to be here for the results but he couldn't wait any longer. Bill wanted to be here as well but he's stuck with Fleur…"

"Fleur Delacour?" asked Harry, surprised. "Why's he with her?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you last night? They're _engaged_!" Mrs. Weasley almost spat that last word out, her face darkening slightly. "Bill went down to France to see her family, but they're stuck there due to a problem with the trains. (1)"

"Engaged?" repeated Harry, incredulously. "When's the wedding?"

But Mrs. Weasley's reply was cut off by a terrified shriek from Hermione, making everyone jump and hurry to the window. "Sorry! I'm sorry!" squeaked Hermione, breathing deeply. "I thought I saw something in the distance, but it was just a plane!"

Harry and Ron both sat down again. Ron was now sweating profusely. "Blimey, this waiting is terrible. What time are they supposed to get here any-"

A terrific explosion from the fireplace drowned out the rest of Ron's question and everyone jumped up with surprise once again. For a few seconds the fire flared upwards dangerously and spat out four envelopes, before quietening down again. For a few moments no one dared to move in case of any other nasty surprises, but when it became apparent that nothing was going to happen Ron got to his feet and retrieved the envelopes. "There's one for you, Harry, and the others are for Hermione, Ginny and me. I reckon this could be it!"

"Can't be, if there's one for me." said Ginny, taking hers and passing Harry's over to him. Hermione took hers in a trance-like state and slowly peeled it open. Harry couldn't blame her, opening his own envelope with a great deal of trepidation. Two pieces of paper were inside. Harry picked one and slowly opened it.

_Here is your booklist for your next year at Hogwarts. O.W.L.s will be received upon arrival._

_Be careful. NOTHING is as it seems._

Confused, Harry looked at the other letter and saw that it was indeed a booklist for his following year. He looked at the letter for any indication as to who it was from but found nothing. "Is this it? What's going on?"

Ron shook his head in equal confusion. "Dunno, problem with the delivery owls? (2) Has this ever happened before?" he asked his mother. Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "No, I've no idea what's going on, I'll have to speak to your father when he gets home." She took Harry's booklist from Harry and read it. "Well, I guess that means a trip to Diagon Ally tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" asked Hermione, who was looking a lot better now that it beam apparent the O.W.L.s weren't coming. "Why can't we go today?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" snapped Mrs. Weasley. "We can't go without the proper security!" and without another word she busied herself with preparing lunch, despite the fact it was half past nine in the morning.

Arthur Weasley returned that evening, greeting Harry warmly. He examined all of the letters carefully, as did Lupin when he arrived later in the evening, but there seemed to be no signs of their origin, and they both agreed that should no O.W.L.s or any other kind of owl arrive the following day then they would have to risk it.

But the following day the only owls that arrived were Hedwig and Pigwidgeon, who seemed to have picked up that day's edition of _The Daily Prophet _during their nocturnal flight. The news was not promising. Aside from the usual stories of disappearances and attacks it contained the worrying news that all Ministry-owned owls seemed to have vanished, the matter being looked into. Every other Hogwarts student had received their book list in the same way, and as far as anyone could tell they seemed to be legitimate. Deciding that they had no choice, Harry and the Weasleys decided to head to Diagon Alley. A pair of Ministry cars were there to take them the following day.

"Hey, this is nice!" said Ron as they got in, looking around the inside appreciatively.

"Don't get used to it, It's only for Harry." replied Mr. Weasley as he got in. "He's to get top security."

Ron replied with a weak "Oh." and spent the entire journey looking out the window, not talking to anyone. Harry looked at him worriedly. A few years ago Ron had become jealous over Harry constantly twice, once during the Triwizard Tournament and another time during that unfortunate Christmas party. Harry had thought he'd got over it but it seemed to be coming back…

_"_We're here." said the driver as they pulled up outside of the Leaky Cauldron. "I'll wait here, take your time. Ah, here's the additional security!"

Harry looked outside and his heart leapt. Standing there waiting for them was Hagrid. He hurriedly got out of the car and saw Ron get out as well, all signs of jealously gone at the sight of their old friend. "All righ' you three?" he asked, as Hermione joined them, slapping Ron on the shoulder so hard he nearly fell over and shooting and grinning broadly at Harry. "They were askin' for someone ter do the security an' I volunteered! Great ter see yeh again Harry."

After a few more greetings were exchanged the small party headed into the Leaky Cauldron, disappointing old tom the landlord by not having anything.

Diagon Alley was a different place these days. Several shops such as Ollivander's and the Ice Cream Parlour looked run down, some of their windows boarded up. Everyone they saw on the street avoided eye contact, walking hurriedly to get the business done as quickly as possible. It was all a sharp contrast to how it had been before Voldemort's return.

As they went through all of the shops they were accosted by several pedlars who tried to sell their goods them, such as amulets that made allegedly emitted a special kind of charm that prevented Dark Wizards from getting close (but had a short life.) and an odd kind of hairspray that meant no Dark Wizard would want to get near you! (Harry was sure this was the first time he had seen hairspray in the Wizarding World.) The sight of an angry Hagrid and a seething Arthur Weasley quickly put them off trying to sell anything to them.

It was not until they had nearly finished all of their errands that anything noteworthy happened. They were just heading into Flourish and Blotts when Harry's gaze was drawn towards a familiar figure standing outside Yarr Wizardin' Goods (3). It was Draco Malfoy, and he was talking to a strange cloaked figure who Harry couldn't seem to focus on. The two of them were in deep conversation, and behind them Harry could see Malfoy's mother looking in a shop window, occasionally shooting a disapproving glance in their direction. Harry turned to point this out to Ron and Hermione, but saw that they had gone inside with everyone else. Well, it'd only take a minute...

Deliberately dropping his new robes from his bag, Harry bent down to pick them up, moving gradually closer to the two of them. But at that precise moment Malfoy saw him and said something hurriedly to the man. Harry thought he saw the man handing an object to Malfoy, but it was gone before he could be sure. The man quickly hurried off down a side street and Malfoy hurried over to his mother and the two of them left, but not before Malfoy shot a quick look of loathing at Harry.

Harry made to followthem but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to face a white-faced Mrs. Weasley. "What do you think you are doing?" she yelled. "Come along!"

It was not until later that evening and they were alone in Ron's room that Harry could tell Ron and Hermione he had seen. "Who d'you think it was Malfoy was meeting?" asked Ron. "A Death Eater?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" snapped Hermione. "If it was a Death Eater would they really talk about plans so openly, in full view of Aurors and everyone else?"

Harry had been deep in thought for several minutes but looked up at this. "I don't know, it'd be just like Malfoy to gloat and show off like that."

"What? What are you talking about?" said Hermione

"I think I've got it!" said Harry "He's replaced his father as a Death Eater!"

A long uncomfortable pause followed, broken by Ron's laugh. "Come off it mate, why'd they want him?"

"I don't know. Something in the Malfoy's house perhaps? Or maybe it's something at Hogwarts?"

He looked hopefully at Ron and Hermione for any suggestions but they both shifted uncomfortably. "Harry…" began Hermione.

"No, listen!" said Harry, warming to the theory. "That man I saw gave him something, perhaps it's a weapon or something… Something he has to sneak into Hogwarts!"

Hermione and Ron stared back at him in silence, slightly incredulous looks on their faces. "Harry, even if you did see Malfoy tailing to this stranger, there's no way you couldn't look at him properly - there aren't any spells that allow you to do that." said Hermione.

"Yeah, perhaps it was a trick of the light?' said Ron.

"No, there was definitely something about him.." said Harry. "It was weird, no matter how hard I looked I just couldn't get a good look at him." he got to his feet. "We need to speak to your father, Ron. I'm certain Malfoy's involved in something."

**Appendix**

(1) Various trains operate that take people to various parts of the world for those who don't like/are unable to travel on broomsticks or are just lazy. This train in question, _The Scarlet Thunderbolt_, operates from platform ten and five-eighths at King's Cross.

(2) There was, in fact, a supply of clockwork owls kept in case such a problem would befall the post owls, but it was later discovered that after a certain film the image of a mechanical owl is in fact, already owned and the Wizarding Post Office had to pay a small amount of money for continued use of said owls and the concept was scrapped. (This makes no sense to me either, but that's what happened!)

(3) Yarr Wizardin' Goods is a very popular shop in the wizarding world that sells all sorts of goods but with a pirate theme. This particular branch has just been opened, which is why it has never been mentioned until now


	5. On The Right Track?

-Chapter Four-

_On The Right Track?_

Lord Voldemort's return meant that everyone who worked at the Ministry Of Magic had to work around the clock in their efforts to track down Voldemort and stop him before he got too powerful again. Because of this Arthur Weasley spent most days either at work or away on some errand, and Harry was unable to get a word with him until towards the end of the summer.

Mr. Weasley was just as incredulous as Ron and Hermione had been after Harry had asked for a quiet moment alone. "Draco Malfoy, a Death Eater?"

"I know it's hard to believe," said Harry. "but I'm sure of it. There was something… off about the man. He gave some kind of object to Malfoy."

"What did it look like?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't see, it was only for an instant. But he definitely gave him something!"

Arthur looked like he wanted to believe Harry, but eventually he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Harry. The Ministry gets several hundred leads and hints every day. What you've said to me isn't enough to give priority to."

"But what about the Death Eater?" asked Harry. "They could have a new way of concealing themselves!"

"There's no proof that the man you saw _was_ a Death Eater." Arthur pointed out. "But if we find any evidence of this I'll give it some consideration."

"Can't you do anything at all?"

"We'll look into it Harry, that's all I can promise."

The remaining days of the summer were spent enjoying what was left of their free time. Hermione had suggested they check over the books not their book list, hoping that the books they had to buy would provide some hints as to whether they had passed their O.W.L.S. or not, but it seemed that the three of them had all had to buy the same books.

No further news was forthcoming on the mystery of the O.W.L.s, nor on the whereabouts of the Ministry Owls, the _Daily Prophet_ instead arriving by being launched from an unknown location by Medalyn Catapult (1) to everyone's homes. That day's paper brought the unpleasant news that the Knight Bus had gone missing, along with its crew.

"Blimey, it's all happening now isn't it!" said Ron, trying to make light of the situation, but everyone knew how serious it was getting.

It was amazing how much things could change. On some days Harry would find the house to be bright and cheerful with everyone talking and laughing together, and others it would be silent and morose as further news on Death Eater attacks arrived. Mrs. Weasley in particular would frequently be found gazing into space, undoubtedly thinking of all her family members being so far apart for a change.

Harry himself was growing both excited and concerned with returning to Hogwarts - he'd finally be able to speak to Dumbledore and find out what was going on. He was becoming more convinced that Dumbledore was working on some top secret plan, one that would defeat Lord Voldemort once and for all.

He would keep an eye on Malfoy as well. He was up to something, Harry was sure of it.

All too soon the day to return to Hogwarts came. Special Ministry-appointed cars arrived early in the morning to take them to King's Cross. Everyone's luggage was packed away and they made a swift journey to the station. The luggage was loaded onto trolleys and everyone was ready.

"Right, we'll go in pairs." said Mr. Weasley. "Ginny, you go first with Hermione."

The two of them headed through with Lupin, who'd accompanied them that day.

"Harry, you come with me. Molly, you come through with Ron after us."

Harry and Arthur lined up and moved forwards casually. Within seconds they were on Platform 9 3/4, looking at the scarlet Hogwarts Express before them. Harry turned quickly to Mr. Weasley."Did you have any luck with…?"

"No." said Mr. Weasley quickly, glancing around. "We went to the Malfoys house to have a look and nothing was found. After Lucuis Malfoy's arrest the Ministry had the house raided and confiscated most of the goods anyway. It'd be very difficult to hide anything there. Perhaps you were mistaken on what you saw?" Before Harry could say nothing else he looked back over his shoulder. "Ah, here's Ron."

They all made their way through the crowd of people to get to the train, until they finally found a vacant door they could board on. Harry noticed that there seemed to be a few Aurors on the edge of the crowd, keeping a careful eye on everything.

"Now, you four have a nice term. You're coming back to us for Christmas so we'll see you all then." beamed Mrs. Weasley. The train whistle sounded loudly.

They quickly made their goodbyes and hastily boarded the train just before it left, waving out of the windows at the receding platform. Soon enough they were well underway. "Well, shall, we find somewhere to sit?" asked Harry.

"Erm… we have to go to the Prefect's compartment." said Ron. "You know, gotta keep an eye on things for a bit.|"

"Oh, Okay. See you later."

Ron and Hermione left, leaving Harry alone. He sighed and decided to find a compartment before they all became full.

Everyone openly stared at Harry as he walked through the carriages (except for Cho Chang, who hastily grabbed a magazine and began to practise the art of reading upside down.), and he could hear the whispering to each other in his wake. Harry had always had to put up with this but after the events of the previous school year it had intensified significantly. He said hello to a few people he recognised before something ahead of him caught his attention. Malfoy was walking down the corridor, accompanied, as always, by Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Shouldn't Malfoy be with the other prefects? Malfoy came to a compartment and the three of them strolled inside, closing the door behind them.

Harry thought hard. Knowing Malfoy, he wouldn't be able to resist hinting about whatever he was up to to his fellow Slytherins. If Harry could somehow get inside the compartment… With a vague plan of using his invisibility oak to get inside in mind Harry began to walk towards the compartment, only to be interrupted by a voice behind him. "Harry! Harry!" Harry turned around and there, leaning out of one of the compartments he'd just passed, was Neville Longbottom. Neville was a fellow Gryffindor who had initially not handled learning magic very well, but had improved significantly over the previous year, helped in part by Harry's DA meetings. Neville beamed at Harry. "Come in here, plenty of room!"

Cursing his bad luck, Harry followed him in and was greeted by Luna Lovegood and Dean Thomas, who was sitting with his arm around Ginny, a sight that annoyed Harry for some reason. Nevertheless, he greeted each of them warmly. "Hello Luna, how's _The Quibbler_ coming along?"

"Very good," said Luna dreamily. "Everyone seems to want a copy these days, Dad's thrilled. Personally I think everyone just wants to find out how to spot a Higher Jakslip (2)."

The slightly uncomfortable silence that followed was broken by Harry asking how everyone's summer had gone.

"Pretty good," said Dean. "bit annoyed about not getting my O.W.L.s though."

"Yeah!" interrupted Neville. "What's going to happen with that?"

"I heard they're being given out when we arrive." said Luna.

Harry's heart skipped a beat. He'd been secretly relieved that he hadn't had to worry about his O.W.L. results, but now here they were coming up at the rate of… well, however fast the train was travelling. Neville and Dean had both started staring nervously into space, obviously thinking the same thing. Ginny grinned broadly at the looks on their faces while Luna pulled out a copy of _The Quibbler_ and started reading.

"Heard anything about the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher?" asked Ginny eventually.

"Gran was saying it might be another Ministry employee." said Neville, coming back to Earth.

"What?" said Harry incredulously. "Haven't they learnt after Umbridge?"

"Probably not got a choice, no one wants to do it," pointed out Ginny. "And it might be better this year since they're not pretending Voldemort hasn't returned."

She had a point, but still… Harry didn't think he'd be able to really trust the Ministry fully again after their attempts to squash the truth last year…

A huge jolt interrupted their discussion. They heard the screech of brakes, the confused voices in adjacent compartments. Harry looked out of the window into the gathering darkness.

The train was stopping.

"What's going on?" asked Dean. "We can't be at Hogwarts already!"

They got up and went out into the corridor, getting their wands out as they did so. The corridor was full of people, all trying to look out of the windows and see what was happening. Harry could make out quick snatches of conversation, "…Is it the Dementors? …there's a problem with the line… …driver's having a look…". Harry was just pushing through the crowd to try and get to to the window when his eyes were drawn to Draco Malfoy, who was leaning in the doorway of his compartment, smiling smugly. Crabbe, Goyle and a few other Slytherins were pushing through the crowd roughly to get to the window and Malfoy followed them at a leisurely pace.

His compartment was empty…

"I'll be right back." Said Harry. And began to push through the crowd, leaving Neville and the others behind. He got to Malfoy's compartment quickly and, checking to make sure the Slytherins were still distracted, slipped in through the door.

He looked around the room quickly. He knew what he was doing was extremely foolish and that if he was caught he could be in serious trouble, but he couldn't resist a golden opportunity like this. He went through all of the bags until he found one with Malfoys name on and opened it. Inside where his robes and books. Harry began to rummage through the the things and almost immediately his hand came into contact with a strange object. He slowly pulled it out.

It was a small metal pyramid, with several lights of different colours all over it. On top of it a large, yellow light was flashing on and off at a steady pace. Was this the object that the man had given Malfoy in Diagon Alley? A chill went through Harry. There was something funny about the object… something _unnatural_.

The screams from the corridor jolted Harry out of his thoughts and he spun round to face the door. People were running past it in a panic What was happening. Harry hastily shoved the pyramid back into Malfoy's trunk and hastily went out into the corridor.

It was pandemonium. People were rushing down from the front of the train in utter terror, pushing everyone along with them. Harry tried to grab people as they passed to find out what was happening but they quickly shook him off. "What is it? What's happening?" he shouted as loudly as he could, but could not make himself heard. He tried to step out into the corridor but was immediately caught up in the flow and lost his balance, tumbling to the floor. behind him he could hear the sound of the glass door that separated the carriages being opened, and the panic of the crowd increased. Harry desperately tried to get to his feet again, keeping a firm grip on his wand, but overtime he tried to rise he was pushed down again by the rushing crowd. Finally, the crowd dispersed enough to get back on his feet, and he turned around to see what was causing the panic.

There, at the end of the corridor, was a Death Eater.

**Appendix**

(1) The Medalyn Catapult is a back-up should something happen to the owls, never used before. It functions simply by placing the magazine or newspaper you wish to send and selecting the location by writing it on the catapult with a special kind of ink and quill, whereupon it will launch the paper to the intended location. This is not a perfect method and several people have been hit by flying magazines (as have some unfortunate birds) and, on occasion, not gotten the paper they wanted. One infamous incident had one unlucky customer receive all of his papers as well as all of the papers intend for everyone else in the neighbourhood as well.

(2) A strange, ghost-like entity that resembles a formless blob and eats mostly thistles. Found in the Scottish Highlands, allegedly


	6. Headlong Flight

-Chapter Five-

_Headlong Flight_

A chill went though Harry's entire body at the sight of the masked Death Eater. For a few moments they faced each other in silence, both sizing up their opponent.

They both raised their wands at the same time. Harry was a fraction faster. "_Stupefy_!"

A bolt of red light shot out from his wand towards, the Death Eater, who leapt aside and fired off a spell of his own. Harry flung himself back into Malfoy's compartment to dodge the spell, tripping over one of the bags and falling to the ground, the impact causing several other bags to fall off the shelves and land on him. Harry's heart pounded in his ears. _This can't be happening… not here, not now…._ Quickly he tried to get to his feet again, but the Death Eater appeared in the doorway all too quickly. It raised its wand…

"_Stupefy!_" bellowed another voice and the Death Eater was sent flying as the spell hit it. It hit the far wall with a loud clang and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Next thing Harry knew, Ron was inside and helping him up. "You okay? Good job I got here in time!"

Harry grinned as Ron helped him up. "Thanks, where are the others? More could turn up at any moment!" he asked.

"On their way. You think there's more Death Eaters on board?"asked Ron worriedly.

"I doubt one would be brave enough to attack alone."

They moved out into the corridor and were relieved to see the Death Eater still lying comatose on the floor. "Come on, we'll have to restrain him somehow." Harry shouted, running towards it.

But as Harry drew closer he was alarmed by the sight of two more masked Death Eaters charging down the corridor of the next carriage towards him. Thinking quickly, Harry raised his wand and cried "_Impedimenta_!" and as the two Death Eaters were thrown backwards by the spell he slammed the connecting door between the two carriages and locked it with a quick "_Colloportus_!" He backed away from the door as the two Death Eaters reached it and struggled to open it. He ran back to a grinning Ron. "Nice one, Harry!"

The door behind them opened suddenly and they turned around in alarm, wands at the ready.

"Hey, it's only us!" said Hermione as she, Ginny and Neville ran through.

"Where you guys been?" demanded Ron, lowering his wand.

"Looking for Golden Gormics (1), where do you think?" asked Ginny, rolling her eyes. "Is it true? Are there Death Eaters?" she asked more seriously.

"Yeah, but we've got them trapped in the next carriage, they won't be getting through that door any…" Harry broke off as the two Death Eaters gave up on trying to open the door and smashed through the glass itself and entered. "Oh, right, yeah."

The two Death Eaters raised their wands simultaneously. There was no room to dodge.

"_EXPELLIARMUS_!" yelled Hermione. The two Death Eaters wands flew from their hands.

"_STUPEFY_!" Yelled Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville again and again, forcing the Death Eaters to hastily retreat back down into the carriage they had arrived from, snatching up their wands as they went.

For a few moments Harry and the others stood in silence, getting their breaths back. Harry recovered first and ran down to the doorway, but there was no sign of the Death Eaters. "Right, Neville, stay here and guard him." He gestured to the Death Eater lying on the ground. "Hermione, Ginny, go back to the others and find some more members of the DA, we're gonna need all the help we can get. Ron, come with me."

"Wait!" cried Hermione. She pointed her wand at the unconscious Death Eater, said "_Incarcerous!_", and he was quickly bound in ropes.

"Brilliant!" Grinned Harry. "Okay, let's go."

The girls nodded wordlessly and hurried off, and Neville pointed his wand at the unconscious Death Eater. Harry stepped through to the next carriage, Ron behind him, both had their wands at the ready. The carriage was empty, the door at the end hanging open. Harry and Ron headed through it.

It was pretty unnerving as the travelled through the sight of abandoned possessions was unnerving, and on several occasions they would come across one the conductors, lying in a heap where they had fallen. They soon found themselves jumping at imagined noises. They'd soon be at the front of the train, could it be that the Death Eaters had just made good their escape? And what of the Driver and the Witch who normally who had the buffet cart? He'd not seen either of them in the crowd earlier.

He suddenly became aware of the sound of battle, he could heat spells being fired up ahead. He motioned for Ron to stay where he was and then creeped to the end of the carriage they were currently in.

A tremendous fight was happening in the Locomotive, a fantastic room (that seemed oddly larger within than it did on the outside (2)) filled with the most unusual controls Harry had seen. Levers, buttons and what appeared to be taps covered the walls, each one connected to the others by a network of pipes. Each pipe travelled along the wall and into a large firebox at the front of a train. The Driver of the train and the Buffet Witch were engaging the Death Eaters in battle. Curses and Jinxes filled the air as the four of them fought in the cramped spaces. Without even hesitating Harry stepped out of hiding and ran down to help.

"Get back!" cried the Witch as she spotted him. "Leave this to-" she was cut off by a green spell that sent her flying back against the train controls. The Driver cried out in anger and shot a flurry of spells at the Death Eaters, only for a second spell to hit him and send him flying back as well. The Death Eaters turned to face Harry. With no time to halt his charge Harry ran straight into the nearest Death Eater, hoping to knock it off balance.

It was like hitting a brick wall. Harry fell backwards, stunned by the impact. The Death Eater quickly grabbed him and threw him over to join the Driver and Buffet Witch at the controls, knocking him senseless.

Harry shook his head in an effort to clear it. In front of him he could see Ron run forward to help, only to be forced back by the other Death Eater firing a spell at him. The Death Eater Harry had tried to tackle ignored all of this and raised his wand to finish Harry off.

Harry only just dodged the spell, throwing himself aside at the last possible moment. The spell hit one of the pipes, causing it to burst open and thick, dark liquid to spray out straight onto the Death Eater. Harry ducked past it as he flayed around. The Death Eater Ron was fighting spun round, took the situation in at a glance and hastily fled, shoving one of the outer doors open and running out into the night. Harry made to follow but a shout from Ron stopped him. "Harry - Look!" Harry spun round and was horrified at what he saw.

The Death Eater had been covered in whatever it was that was in the pipes and fell to his knees. As Harry and Ron watched the liquid continued to spread across the Death Eater, even though the leak had stopped. Before their eyes the affected part of his body seemed to_ melt_, and the rest of the body followed suit as the liquid spread across the body. In a matter of seconds all that was left of the body was a large, formless puddle on the floor, and even that had soon dried away. Harry and Ron were alarmed to see that even the floor beneath the Death Eater had been affected, the carpet worn away to reveal a strange, pure white surface underneath.

"What happened to him?" asked Ron incredulously as Harry leant down examine the affected area. Gingerly he ran his hand across the surface. It was cool to the touch and incredibly smooth. Was what the entire train was made of? He looked at the Driver and the Buffet Witch but it was clear they were beyond help.

A shout from further down the train caught their attention. Harry and Ron looked at each other. "Neville!"

They found Neville lying semiconscious on the floor, being tended to by Ginny. A nasty looking gash on his forehead marked where he had been struck. All that remained of the captured Death Eater was the broken ropes lying on the floor. "What happened?" asked Ron. "Where's Hermione?"

"Down with the others." Replied Ginny. "It's chaos back there, everyone's in a panic! I hear Neville scream and just got here."

Neville groaned. Harry hurried to his side. "Neville? What happend?"

"Had his back to him…" muttered Neville. "Got free somehow. He took something from that compartment…" he pointed weakly at Malfoy's compartment.

"Where is he?" asked Harry quickly, fearing the worst.

"Gone. He just ran out of the train." said Neville.

Harry ran to the compartment and had a quick look inside and than ran for the door leading outside, his worst fears confirmed. "He's got the pyramid!" he shouted, leaping out of the train.

It was pouring with rain outside. Harry looked around desperately and spotted a cowled figure running up a bank next to the train and disappearing into a forest at the top. "STOP!" he bellowed, setting off in pursuit.

It was hard going. The ground was getting increasingly muddy and Harry had trouble climbing up the bank. Once he reached the top he looked around, trying to spot the Death Eater, but he could barely see anything.

"_Lumos!_" he muttered. The tip of his wand lit up and he held it up high, trying to spot the Death Eater. He quickly spotted him, rushing through the trees not too far away. Harry set after him.

The rain continued to pound down but Harry refused to give up. He made his way through the trees, tripping over the roots and slipping in the mud. At several points he though he'd lost his prey but luckily he was able to find him again each time. His clothes were soaked and the rain had grown so bad that he had to use the Impervious Charm to keep it off of his glasses.

Suddenly he spotted something up ahead. There was the Death Eater, on his knees in the mud. Harry ducked behind a convenient tree (3) and whispered "_Nox_", extinguishing the light on his wand instantly. Moving as carefully as he could, Harry risked another look.

The Death Eater was still on his knees, and was scrabbling in the mud as if trying to find something. Maybe… Maybe he'd dropped the pyramid! Harry peered through the rain and his heart leapt as he spotted it a few meters behind the Death Eater, who was determinedly searching in the wrong direction. Harry stepped out from behind the tree and began to creep towards the Death Eater. If he was fast, he could grab the pyramid and be out of there in a matter of moments. Even as he moved forward Harry noticed some odd things. Why was the Death Eater not using the _Lumos_ spell? Perhaps he'd lost his wand in the fight beforehand? And why hadn't the Death Eater noticed him before when Harry had caught up to him? The pyramid must be extremely important to Voldemort…

Harry crept closer and closer, hardly daring to breathe. Thankfully the Death Eater was still too absorbed in his search to notice. Harry's eyes never left the pyramid as he got closer. Soon it was within arm's reach and he knelt down to grab it…

Suddenly it was snatched away from. Harry looked up at the Death Eater holding the pyramid triumphantly, before a sharp kick to the stomach knocked him to the ground and the Death Eater fled once again.

Although winded, Harry struggled to his feet and set off after the Death Eater. None of this was making sense. Why was the Death Eater running? Why hadn't he apparated? They weren't on Hogwarts grounds, it should be possible!

Harry charged blindly after the Death Eater, pushing through branches and leaping over any protruding roots he noticed. Up ahead he saw the Death Eater run into a group of bushes and Harry plunged in after him.

Next thing he knew the ground vanished beneath his feet and he was falling. Harry cried out as he slid down a slope and went over the edge of a cliff, frantically grabbing at anything within reach.

His hand found a root protruding from the cliff and he grabbed it, stopping his fall. Breathing heavily, he risked a look down.

Below him was a tremendous drop several hundred feet high above a large lake. Harry's heart was pounding. One false movement and he'd fall. Harry risked reaching for another root close by but stopped as he slipped down the root he was holding. "Help! HELP!" he shouted, hoping someone would hear him. He tried to get a better grip and cried out in horror as he slipped even further down. The rain had made it very slippery. Harry risked another shout. "HEEEEELP!" he bellowed as loudly as he could.

The root snapped.

Almost instantly his hand was grabbed by another and Harry felt himself being pulled upwards. He looked up to see a grinning face looking back at him.

"Lucky I was passing! Need a hand?"

**Appendix**

(1) An incredibly rare creature capable of flying at incredible speeds, only visible during the (even rarer) occasion that they need to stop to rest. Its mention here should not be taken seriously.

(2) The idea of changing the dimensions within a vehicle to make it more spacious without any apparent change to the outside design is a popular way of making travel more comfortable within the Wizarding World. In fact, if you are ever on a public transport and someone is complaining loudly about no leg room, that they are travelling too slowly, or complaining about the vehicle in general, then chances are that this person is a wizard furious at having to travel on a muggle vehicle.

(3) Well, how convenient a tree can be when it's in a forest is up to you


	7. Eupheus Willow

-Chapter Six-

_Eupheus Willow_

"But where did you come from?" asked Harry in bewilderment. He was still recovering from his near-fall.

The Stranger turned around, still beaming. "The Ministry! We received word of the attack and just got here. Your friends said you'd run this way so I came to get you. What were you chasing?" he asked, suddenly serious. He looked at Harry intently with his large, piercing eyes.

"Er… A Death Eater." said Harry, caught off guard by the Stranger's abrupt change in mood.

"Really? Why was it here?" asked the stranger.

"There was three of them." said Harry, recovering quickly. "They were after the pyramid!"

"Pyramid?"

"Something that Malfoy had in his compartment."

"Can you prove this?"

"No…. they took it with them!" said Harry in frustration.

The Stranger continued to stare at Harry. "And why do you think they attacked?"

The question caught Harry off guard. He had been thinking the same thing and could only come to the conclusion that he himself had been why they'd attacked. Voldemort could be getting paranoid after the loss of the prophecy. Perhaps he was having his Death Eaters kill him in order to avoid a repeat of last time.

The Stranger's eyes bored into Harry's and the forest around them seemed to shimmer. Then, just as quickly, it stopped. The Stranger abruptly turned away and resumed walking, hands in his pockets (1). The forest returned to normal. "Come on, they're waiting for us." Harry followed behind him, wondering what had just happened.

The place was crawling with Aurors when Harry and the Stranger arrived back at the Express. Harry recognised several people standing guard along the tracks and up above more were patrolling on their broomsticks. As Harry and the Stranger drew closer an Auror exited the train and walked towards them. Harry's stomach lurched slightly as he recognised Amos Diggory.

"Ah, you found Potter. Good work, Willow."

"Thanks" grinned the stranger.

"Willow?" asked Harry, confused.

"Sorry, yes! Eupheus Willow, nice to meet you!" said Willow, offering Harry his hand.

"That's enough." said Amos curtly. "Go and look out for the carriages from Hogsmeade." Willow nodded and walked away. Amos signalled for Harry to follow him and walked towards the train. Harry walked in silence, trying to ink of something to say. Amos looked terrible. His hair had thinned quite a bit since the Triwizard Tournament and there was vacant, perpetually sad look in his eyes. "So… how are things?" asked Harry eventually.

Amos spoke without looking at him. "The other students are on board." He said. "Wait here with them and transport is on it's way." He showed Harry to a door on the nearest carriage. Harry climbed up and opened the door. He turned to thank Amos only to find he had already left. Harry shrugged and entered the carriage.

After that there was a lot of waiting before the Thestrals arrived with the Hogsmeade Carriages that usually took them from Hogsmeade up to Hogwarts. They travelled swiftly, not stopping for anything. The Aurors were taking no chances, one sitting in each of the Hogsmeade carriages with the students. Several others flew alongside the line of carriages on their broomsticks, alert for any further attacks. Fortunately the journey was made without incident, and they arrived at Hogwarts safely. Nobody was surprised to see more Aurors on guard outside the main doors, and soon everybody was sitting at the House Tables.

Harry looked up at the Staff Table and was somehow relived by the sight of Dumbledore watching over everything with a concerned look on his face. It felt good knowing he was watching over them. The rest of the Teachers were observing everything with concerned looks on their faces. Everyone was talking about the attack, and Harry heard many wild theories on why they had been attacked and the amount of people who glanced at him had increased considerably. Dumbledore rose to his feet and coughing politely. The Hall instantly went quiet.

"Good evening!" cried Dumbledore. "I am pleased you arrived here safely! But enough time for talk later. For now, eat!"

Instantly the plates began to fill up with food - in some cases a little too quickly, as the Hufflepuff table discovered when the tremendous pile of roast potatoes toppled over.

Everyone tucked in ravenously, yet people still discussed the attack. A few places down Harry could hear Colin and Dennis Creevey brothers discussing how the Death Eaters could have been after the train itself to us base.

Harry turned to look at the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy talking to Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson and several other Slytherins. He had a smug look on his face and most of the Slytherins were hanging off his every word, some open mouthed. Harry turned back to Ron and Hermione. "Look at Malfoy. He was definitely behind that attack."

"Are you serious?" said Ron incredulously, dropping his voice to a whisper as some people turned to look at him."So he's not only working with the Death Eaters but is _in charge_?"

"Of course not!" Harry replied."I think that pyramid was a beacon… something that drew the Death Eaters to the train. They _knew_ that it was there, and took it with them deliberately so that Malfoy couldn't be connected to them!" Ron and Hermione's responses were cut short by Dumbledore rising to his feet and coughing politely. The Hall instantly went quiet.

"Greetings to you all. To the returning students: Welcome back. To all first years: I am sorry your first year got off to such a rough start.

"The terrible attack that occurred on the Hogwarts Express is but one of many incidents to have occurred since Lord Voldemort returned. Because of this, charms and jinxes have been used to increase security, and the fortifications have been strengthened. We live in very dark times so I implore you - if you see anything suspicious, do not hesitate to tell one of the teachers. Do NOT -" and here Harry could have sworn that Dumbledore's eyes flickered in his direction just for a second, but it's rude to swear. "- investigate the matter yourself. Additional security is also being supplied from the Ministry of Magic. They will be keeping a close eye both on here and at Hogsmeade. Please listen to them and do whatever they say."

Dumbledore paused for a moment to allow what he had said to sink in. "Now, on the matter of the O.W.L.s..."

The Hall, although silent, somehow managed to get quieter.

"You shall receive the results tomorrow at breakfast. Classes will be assigned to you afterwards.

"Now, onto other matters. Mr. Filch has asked me once again to remind you all that using spells in the corridors is strictly forbidden, as are any item purchase from _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_. Quidditch try outs will be-" he broke off suddenly as the doors to the Great Hall opened slowly and Eupheus Willow quietly slipped in, closing the door behind him as slowly and quietly as possible. Then, aware that every eye on the room was on him, grinned broadly and made his way to the Staff table as quickly as he could.

The hall was dead silent. Even Dumbledore seemed to be at a loss for words, but he quickly composed himself. "Ah, yes. May I please introduce you to Professor Eupheus Willow, our new Defence Against The Dark Arts Teacher." He clapped enthusiastically at first but when no one else joined in he quickly stopped. Willow found his seat and sat down to next to Professor Snape who, Harry was not surprised to see, looked extremely angry. It was common knowledge that Snape had always want the Defence Against The Dark Arts position. Eupheus sat in his chair and leaned back casually grabbing a plate of roast dinner in front of him and eating quietly.

"Well… that'll be all." said Dumbledore, regaining his composure. "Off to bed now, sweet dreams!"

There was a huge rush as everyone got up and left the hall at once. Harry, Ron and Hermione tried to stick together but found themselves being jostled about. Harry stumbled slightly as someone tripped him and suddenly found himself face to face with a sneering Malfoy. "Better watch where you step Potter, could turn nasty!" he hissed, before swaggering off in the direction of the Slytherin common room, followed by a chuckling Crabbe and Goyle.

"He's definitely up to something." said Harry determinedly later on. The three of them were all sitting around the fireplace in the empty Gryffindor Common Room. Everyone else had long since gone to bed but neither Harry, Ron or Hermione were feeling tire after that day's events. "We've got to find out what it is."

Hermione shook her head. "Harry, please! The whole idea is just preposterous! You're starting to see spies everywhere."

"But what about the pyramid? It was definitely connected to the Death Eaters attacking the train." Harry pointed out.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron, confused.

"I've been thinking about it. I think that pyramid must have been signalling them. Perhaps there's a jinx or some other spell that makes the Hogwarts Express impossible to find while it is on the move. The pyramid must have been a beacon of sorts!" he said with a sudden flash of inspiration.

"A what?" asked Ron.

"A beacon. A sort of muggle electronic object, it broadcasts a signal. I've seen it in films." Ron looked at him, completely confused (2). Harry turned to Hermione for help. "Hermione, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

Hermione turned away from the window, where she'd been watching a small swarm of Duskflies (3) flying lazily above the lake. "No, muggle objects wouldn't work. The spell and jinxes used to keep Hogwarts hidden. It was probably just something that Malfoy owns."

"Then why did they take it with them?" Harry practically shouted.

There was a long silence. both Hermione and Ron seemed to be thinking the same thing, both looking anywhere away from at Harry and trying to muster the courage to speak. Eventually Hermione got the strength to look at Harry.

"Harry… are you sure it was the pyramid they took?"

"Yeah…" said Ron. "It was pretty mad. It could have been moved somewhere in all of the confusion."

Harry looked at them both incredulously. "Well… I didn't actually see if the Death Eater had the pyramid." he admitted finally. "But I'm sure it drew them there and they took as they left to cover their tracks!"

"But what were they after?" asked Ron.

Harry sighed. He'd been hoping to avoid this. "Me. They were after me."

And he told them what Dumbledore had told at him at the end of last year. About the Prophecy made about Harry that had lead to Voldemort trying to murder him, killing Harry's parents in the progress. He'd been afraid to tell anyone about it, but now he had no choice. He had to make Ron and Hermione understand.

Ron and Hermione both stared at him, with identical shocked looks on their faces. It would have been funny in any other situation. "Does anyone else know?" asked Herminoe eventually.

"No, Just you, me and Dumbledore…" said Harry, trailing off as a nasty thought occurred to him.

"Harry?"

"I think Willow, that new teacher, used occlumency on me!" He told them what had happened in the forest.

"Are you sure? Why would he do that?" asked Ron.

"I don't know, There's something funny about him. I don't trust him."

"Hermione's right." said Ron, shaking his head. "You're starting to see spies everywhere."

"But do you see what I mean?" asked Harry, still determined to persuade Ron and Hermione. "If Voldemort and Death Eaters are after me, who else would be so eager to have a part in it? Malfoy! He wants to get me back for what happened to his father!" he said eagerly, warming to the subject. "They must have given him the pyramid to sneak onto the Hogwarts Express, then they took it with them in order to avoid Malfoy being found out. Why? They're going to try again!" He looked at Ron and Hermione hopefully.

Hermione got to her feet. "I'm sorry Harry, but I still find it hard to believe." She yawned and stretched. "I'm going to bed. We have more important things to worry about for now anyway."

"Like what?"

"Like our O.W.L. results!" snapped Hermione, walking away abruptly and disappearing up the staircase that lead to the girls rooms.

"Oh yeah," said Ron hoarsely, turning a sickly shade of green. "Forgot about that."

**Appendix**

(1) Unlike bridal gowns, wizard robes come with pockets.

(2) There are no cinemas in the Wizarding World and the concept of films is not understood by most Wizards. Some have discovered films while visiting various Muggle locations and have become taken with the idea. Several have been to cinemas, but most are quickly thrown out due to their odd behavior. One memorable incident involved a small group of Wizards going to see _Star Wars_, only to believe they were being fired at for real and fought back with their wands.

(3) Small flies that come out during the evening. Have a very prominent white glow on their bodies, and have been known to try and imitate the moon in the sky to confuse observers


	8. Those OWLS

-Chapter Seven-

_Those O.W.L.s_

Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the hall to find the other sixth years sitting at their house tables in a general state of apprehension. Not that Harry could blame them, his own stomach felt like it was full of butterflies performing a dance (1). The three of them sat at the Gryffindor table, barely acknowledging this around them or each other. The rest of the sixth-years were all the same.. Harry at his porridge without thinking, his eyes never leaving the Staff Table, where the Heads Of Houses were all in deep conversation over breakfast. Harry couldn't even bring himself to look over at the Slytherin Table to see what Malfoy was up to. He didn't want to miss a thing.

Eventually the four Heads got to their feet and made their way down from the staff table, each clutching a pile of papers. Beside him Harry heard Hermione give a whimper, and further down the table it sounded like someone was having a panic attack. Harry gripped his spoon so hard he wouldn't have been surprised if it shattered (despite the fact it was made out of metal), while Ron was frozen in mid-movement, oblivious to the fact that the porridge on his spoon had fallen onto his lap.

"Here are your O.W.L. results," said Professor McGonagall, walking down the table and handing everybody a sheet of paper as she passed. Harry took his with trembling hands and read it.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVELS RESULTS_

_ Pass Grades_

_Outstanding (O) _

_ Exceeds Expectations (E) _

_ Acceptable (A)_

_Fail Grades  
><em>

_Poor (P)  
><em>

_Dreadful (D)_

_Troll (T) (2)_

_HARRY JAMES POTTER HAS ACHIEVED_

_Astronomy: A _

_ Care Of Magical Creatures: E_

_ Charms: E_

_ Defence Against The Dark Arts: O_

_ Divination: P_

_ Herbology: E_

_ History Of Magic: D_

_ Potions: E_

_ Transiguration: E_

Harry read the paper again a few more times and then breathed a sigh of relief. Overall, he hadn't done too badly! He knew he'd fail Divination and couldn't say he was surprised at his D for History Of Magic. He also had to admit that he was very proud of getting the O for Defence Against The Dark Arts. The only bad thing was the E for Potions. With that he could say goodbye to his career as an Auror. Harry couldn't help but feel down about it.

He looked to see how everyone else had done. Neville was grinning and leaning over to show Pavarti Patil how he'd done, only to look away quickly as she burst into tears. Dean Thomas' hands were shaking so violently that he knocked his drink over, much to Ginny's amusement. Harry turned to look at Ron who was grinning in relief. "Nowhere near as bad as I thought!" he said. He caught Lavender Brown's eye further down the table and they both grinned at each other. "How'd you do?" He asked Harry and they both swapped. Ron had done about the same as Harry, although he hadn't achieved any Outstandings. Ron didn't seem too upset about it though. "Brilliant Harry, well done!" He handed Harry's back and turned to Hermione, who had been oddly quiet since opening her results. "How'd you do, Hermione?"

"Well enough, I guess," she said faintly, not making eye contact. Ron took the results from her unresisting hands and read them, before snorting with laughter. "Outstandings for everything except Defence The Dark Arts. Don't tell me that's getting you down!"

"No, no of course not!" said Hermione, forcing a laugh.

Harry grinned at her encouragingly. "You've done really well Hermione, we all have!" he said, raising his voice so he could be heard over the crying coming from further down the table. "I wonder how everyone else has done?" He looked around the hall.

Quite a few people were laughing in relief, while others were sobbing into their results. Suddenly he found his gaze drawn to the Slytherin table. Malfoy was looking at the results in complete indifference, and as Harry watched he threw them aside and began talking to Crabbe and Goyle. If only he could hear what they were saying! A nudge rom Ron caught his attention, and he turned around in time to see Dumbledore rising to his feet.

"The very best of mornings to you!" cried Dumbledore once the Hall had fallen silent. "Congratulations to all you sixth-years! Now that your O.W.L.s have been received you may prepare yourselves for this coming year. Tomorrow you will receive your timetables. But first," he chuckled softly. "I'm sure your parents will wish to congratulate you. Ah, here comes the post now!"

For a few seconds no one moved as what Dumbledore had said sunk in, and then everyone flung themselves under the table as newspapers and letters, launched by Medalyn Catapult, came flying in through the windows, skidding across the tables and somehow managing to stop in front of the correct students. Food and drink went flying as the letters and newspapers collided with them. One unfortunate Ravenclaw girl who hadn't ducked in time had her ponytail sliced off, and a brave Hufflepuff boy tried to catch one of the letters as it flew by, resulting in a very nasty paper cut. Eventually the onslaught stopped and everyone emerged from under the tables.

"Well, that'll be all," said Dumbledore.

"Blimey, can't wait for those missing owls to turn up." said Ron as they walked out, examining a a few tears in his robes. Hermione, who was still examining her results, ignored him. "This is going to be such a difficult year, I just know it," she said. "We'll probably have to start using non-verbal spells and learn some incredibly complex potions and charms as well!"

"Hermione, please!" said Ron. "We don't start lessons until tomorrow, you don't have to worry about it yet."

"Of course we do!" Snapped Hermione. "We'll have to work extra hard on everything, won't we Harry?"

Harry wasn't listening, he was too busy watching Malfoy. He, Crabbe and Goyle had stopped outside the Great Hall with a large group of other students and was talking to them quickly. As Harry watched they began to head towards the Slytherin Common Room.

"Don't we, Harry?" repeated a bit more firmly. Harry looked at them both for a moment and then started up the steps at a run. "Come on!"

He hared towards the common room, barely aware of Ron and Hermione trying to keep up. He arrived at the Fat Lady's Portrait, gave the password and was up in his room before he knew it, opening his chest and pulling out the Marauder's Map. He was just about to put it on when Ron and Hermione caught up with him. "Harry, what are you doing?" asked Ron breathlessly.

"Malfoy's up to something." said Harry quickly. "I saw him talking to some other people, I'm going to see if I can listen in."

"Don't be ridiculous." Protested Hermione. "They'll probably be in the Slytherin Common Room by now."

Harry solemnly swore that he was up to no good and looked at the map. He was surprised to find…

"Nothing." he said in disbelief. "He isn't even on here!" He looked at Ron and Hermione in confusion. "What does this mean?"

"Maybe he's found a way round it?" said Ron, looking to Hermione for answers.

"No, he doesn't even know it exists," said Hermione. "I'll check _Hogwarts - A History_ and see if it says anything about getting around charms." She left to fetch her copy and Harry had another careful look at the Marauder's Map, but there was no sign of Malfoy anywhere. "So what we do?" asked Ron.

"I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on Malfoy and see what he gets up to."

The following day they all received their timetables at breakfast. Professor McGonagall telling Harry that while he had failed Potions, there were many similar careers he could follow and he shouldn't get too down about it, which cheered Harry up slightly. Ron was delighted to discover that they now had free periods between some lessons, although that happiness was squashed (3) by Hermione pointing out that they would need those for all of the additional work they' be getting. AFter breakfast she hurried off to her first lesson while Harry and Ron went back to the common room. Harry immediately checked the Marauder's Map but was disappointed to see Malfoy still at the Slytherin Table, and eventually they headed off to Defence Against The Dark Arts. They met Hermione and a few of the other Gryffindors.

"Good lesson?" asked Ron jokingly. Hermione glared at him. "I've got two essays to read and a lot of books to read by next week. And this is just the beginning!" she said, her voice raising at Ron's smirk. "We'll probably get loads from here!"

The door suddenly opened and Professor Willow's head popped out, grinning broadly. "In you come then!"

The Gryffindors walked into the classroom with not a little trepidation. Given how last years Ministry-appointed teacher had carried out the lessons this was understandable. Professor Willow leaned on his desk, hands in his pockets and that same, inane grin on his face. The walls of the room were covered in pictures of various Dark Artefacts, some appeared to be only half-finished sketches and Harry wondered if Professor Willow had drawn them all himself.

"Right, yes, good morning!" said Willow as soon as they had taken their seats. "So, Dark Arts eh?" He stopped leaning against his desk and started pacing the classroom. "You have had several different Teachers on this subject over the years haven't you? They've all taught this subject in their own way, but none of them have lasted over a year. Some of them have even been… tainted by the Dark Arts." He stopped in front of his desk and stared intently straight ahead. To everyone in the room it was like he was staring directly at each of them, yet at the same time staring into space. "That itself should serve as a lesson to you all. _You are not safe from the Dark Arts anywhere._ No matter how safe a place seems to be the Dark Arts _will_ find a way in. And with the return of Lord Voldemort-" several people shuddered. "-it is very important to understand the Dark Arts and to learn how to be ready for them. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he bellowed suddenly in a voice uncannily like Mad-Eye Moody's, making the whole class jump. "Now, books away and on your feet!" he said, suddenly beaming again. "What I have to teach you cannot be learned from a book." The whole class hastily got to their feet, wands at the ready.

"Today we shall be trying non-verbal spells. '_The importance of non-verbal spells is that your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform,'_ as said by…?" he trailed off, looking at the class hopefully. Hermione's hand shot up. "Yes, Miss Granger?" Harry wasn't sure how he could know her name, as he hadn't taken the register when they'd all entered.

"The Great Catweazle!" said Hermione.

"Correct!" cried Willow. "Ten points to Gryffindor! Now, it's all very well talking about non-verbal spells but performing them is another thing. They can be difficult at first, but with practice and preservation-" he causually waved his wand and everybody suddenly found their own wands flying from their hands. "-you'll be amazed at what can be achieved! Now pair up. One person will try to cast a jinx while the other repels it, both non-verbally. Not a peep from any of you!"

Everyone split into pairs and retrieved their wands, but it soon became clear just how difficult non-verbal spells were. Several people had their faces screwed up in concentration while others resorted to whispering the words as quietly as they could. Willow wandered around the class, watching each pair intently and offering feedback. "It's no good whispering, Dean. Many wizards can lip-read…. Miss Patil, you're over-exaggerating your wand movements… Ah, brilliant!" he cried suddenly as Hermione successfully parried Neville's Jelly-Legs Jinx without making a sound. "Another ten points for Gryffindor!"

Harry held his wand out expectantly, waiting for Ron's curse. Ron was read in the face, mouth clamped shut, desperately trying to cast a spell. His mind drifting, Harry looked around the room idly. Other than Hermione no one else seemed to be doing very well at all.

A flash of movement at the door, which had been left ajar, caught his attention. Someone was standing outside of the door, just out of sight. Harry looked more closely. The black robes, the fact its face was seemed to be obscured by something.

No…. it couldn't be…

The Death Eater stared into the room, and Harry felt that it was staring right at him. For a few seconds, time seemed to stand still, and then the Death Eater moved away from the door. Harry flung himself forwards, ignoring the startled cries from everyone behind him. He charged into the corridor and had a look around. The corridor was empty. Harry walked a few steps forward, looking around intently for any clues, but there were none.

The Death Eater had vanished.

"Is there a problem, Harry?" Willow said behind him. Harry turned around. Everyone in the class was staring at him. Willow was looking at him intently.

"No, nothing's wrong sir." Said Harry quickly. It wouldn't do to worry everyone. Willow didn't say anything for a few moments and Harry wasn't sure whether he believed him or not.

"Leave, it, there's nothing you could do." Whispered willow suddenly, before turning and heading back inside before Harry could say anything else. What had he meant by that?

"Harry you can't be serious," said Ron as they left the classroom after the lesson had ended. "A Death Eater in Hogwarts?"

"That's what I saw," said Harry firmly. "It was outside the door for a few moments, I got a good look at it."

"It was probably someone with a poor sense of humour doing it for a joke." Said Hermione.

"Yeah, I could see Malfoy doing that," said Ron eagerly. "It would be so like him to try and mess with your mind like that!"

They carried on talking but Harry wasn't listening. Professor Willow had emerged from the classroom and was walking up and down the corridor, examining everything carefully, just like Harry had been doing before.

Was he searching for the Death Eater? Had he seen it too?

But more importantly, were there Death Eaters in Hogwarts?

**Appendix**

(1) _The Dance of the Butterflies_ is a little known musical that was written to incorporate real butterflies as dancers. After a disastrous opening night where the butterflies flew around aimlessly it's optimistically planned 50 date tour was cancelled.

(2) There as once a W grade in place of the Troll, but it was quickly abandoned once people discovered what it stood for.

(3) Not too be confused with Happiness Squash, a banned and highly addictive potion/drink that makes the consumer incredibly happy, so happy that they can't bare to be sad ever again and don't stop drinking it

AUTHOR'S NOTE - For some reason the margins I used to recreate the results sheet did not survive the uploading, and trying to recreate didn't seem to work. Sorry about that.


	9. Smoke Break

-Chapter Eight-

_Smoke Break_

Over the next couple of days Harry kept an eye out for any further signs of Death Eaters, as well as trying to keep an eye on Malfoy and find out what he was up to. He would spend most of his free periods either in his room with the Marauder's Map out, or walking the corridors under some pretence of visiting the library to do some work or something, taking long detours on the off chance of discovering anything.

Neither Ron nor Hermione could accept the idea that the Death Eaters had infiltrated such a secure place like Hogwarts and focused on their work. Hermione in particular was getting increasingly obsessed with the amount of homework they were getting, believing one single lapse could be disaster.

"If you're so certain about Malfoy, then tell Dumbledore!" She snapped irritably while Harry and Ron were discussing Malfoy one day.

Dumbledore. Harry had to admit that he had hoped that Dumbledore would have been in touch now that Harry was back at Hogwarts, but he hadn't heard anything, and whenever he tried to catch Dumbledore's eye during breakfast Dumbledore completely ignored him. What was going on? Was Dumbledore working on something secret? Surely he'd have involved the Order, but even they seemed to be in the dark about it all.

On several occasions Harry's prowling round the corridors had caught the ire of Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts with a perpetual hatred of students. He would normally be found patrolling the corridors with his faithful cat, Mrs. Norris,, keeping an eye out for any pranks or misdeeds going on in the corridors. Yet these days Filch wandered the corridors alone and aimlessly as if in a daze, like he knew that he should be doing something but not quite knowing what. Could there be something in that as well?

Malfoy was still having covert meeting at the breakfast table, and in the classes the Gryffindors and Slytherins shared he acted like he was above it all, putting little effort into any of the work, and Harry noticed that gradually the other Slytherins were starting to do so as well, shooting knowing grins at each other in the process. Harry kept an eye on Malfoy on the Map, but was astonished Malfoy continued to not appear on the Map at all at times.. Where was he going?

Things came to a head a few weeks into term. Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting at the Gryffindor Table having breakfast, Harry's eyes never leaving the Slytherin Table. Malfoy was talking to the other Slytherins. As Harry watched, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black sphere. He held it up for the other Slytherins to see, and then rolled it underneath the Ravenclaw Table

For a few moments nothing happened, and then suddenly a thick, black smoke emanated from underneath the table, causing the Ravenclaws to hastily get up. It continued to spread across the Hall, and soon everyone was coughing and choking.

"Everyone out!" cried Professor McGonagall. "No need to panic, just leave immediately!" Despite her orders, there was a large rush to get out. The smoke was spreading fast and soon Harry, Ron and Hermione food themselves lost in it.

"Where's the way out?" coughed Ron, "I cant see a thing!"

"This way, grab my hand!" shouted Harry, instantly regretting it as his mouth filled with smoke. He grabbed Hermione's hand, who grabbed Ron's, and they made their way through he smoke. It was tough going and they stumbled into several objects and people, all the while struggling not to inhale too much of the black smoke. Eventually after what felt like hours (but was probably only a couple of minutes at the most) they managed to get out, and found they'd brought a large amount of other students with them. Teachers and Aurors were waiting in the Entrance Hall to help, pulling people aside and treating them. Madame Pomfrey handed Harry a goblet full of bright yellow liquid.

"Drink this, it'll clear your throat.' She said, handing goblets to Ron and Hermione and heading off to hand more out. Harry drank the liquid. It had a very sweet taste and Harry's throat felt better instantly (1).

"Blimey," said Ron, draining the goblet and taking a deep breath gratefully. "What happened there?"

"Malfoy." said Harry instantly. He started looking around. He had to tell Dumbledore!

But there was no sign of Dumbledore anywhere, and the nearest teacher was Snape. Harry hated to do it,but he had to tell someone at least. He walked up to Snape and cleared his throat. "Er… Professor?"

Snape spun round and stared down his hooked nose at Harry. "What is it, Potter?"

Harry fought to keep the loathing out of his voice as he spoke. "Where is Dumbledore? I need to speak to him."

"_Professor_ Dumbledore is busy, he has other matters to attend to. You might not have noticed but others need help."

Harry couldn't believe it. Would Dumbledore really have something more important to do than this? Harry swallowed his rage and carried on. "I think I know what caused this. I saw Malfoy roll something under the Ravenclaw Table, and then the smoke started from there not long afterwards."

For a moment Snape stared at him at impassively, and Harry wondered if Snape would even believe him. It was well known that Snape, as Head of Slytherin, would favour his students over the other Houses at every opportunity, as well as having a profound dislike of Harry.

But this time was different. "Wait here," said Snape curtly, before turning and walking into the Great Hall, ignoring the now-thinning smoke. Harry helped hand out several goblets to students before Snape emerged. (2)

"There was nothing there Potter. Twenty points from Gryffindor. There is a time and a place for your glory seeking and this is not it." He turned and stalked away without another word.

Harry fought down the urge to jinx Snape and focussed on what he'd said. If there had been nothing there then someone must have removed it. It could only have been a few minutes ago… they couldn't be too far away! Harry urned and ran up the stairs towards the Gryffindor Common Room, ignoring the shouts from Ron and Hermione. He had had to get the Marauder's Map!

Harry arrived in his room breathless, grabbing his Invisibility Cloak and The Marauder's Map, swearing he was up to no good and frantically checking it.

There! Malfoy and a group of other Slytherins were walking down an upstairs corridor towards — towards the Room of Requirement! It all made sense now. That was where they had vanished to before.

There was no time to waste. Harry pulled the cloak over his head and ran down the stairs. Ron and Hermione were climbing through the Portrait as he approached it, and he quickly slipped past them. "Thanks, back in a bit!" he said quickly as he passed, making them both jump.

Harry charged down the corridors, quickly checking the Marauder's Map as he did. He had to catch up with the Slytherins before they entered the Room or he'd lose them. The Room of Requirement was a special kind of room at Hogwarts, able to shape itself to suit the user's need.

Harry wasn't too far away from the Room of Requirement when he heard footsteps and laughter coming from round the corner and quickly slowed down. He peeped around the corner and saw the Slytherins, all talking and laughing excitedly between themselves. One of them looked back casually and Harry hastily ducked back, before remembering that he was wearing his invisibility cloak and didn't have to hide. As he stepped round the corner he saw a flash of movement to his left.

It was Professor Willow. He was leaning around the corner, watching the Slytherins. Harry had spotted Willow prowling the corridors recently, apparently searching for something. Perhaps he had the same suspicions Harry did? The Slytherins disappeared around the corner, and both Harry and Willow set off in pursuit. Harry put on a burst of speed to catch up with them. Harry dodged around Willow as quietly as he could and tagged onto the back of the group. Harry knew several of the Slytherins: Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini and a few others Harry recognised as the sons of Death Eaters: What was going on?

"I can't believe they didn't find that smoke thing," said Nott, one of the Slytherins. "How'd you do it?" he asked Malfoy.

"I have my own ways," said Malfoy smugly. He reached the door leading into the Room of Requirement and opened it. "Inside."

"But won't we be missed?" said another Slytherin Harry didn't know.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "So what? They can't stop us." He stepped inside and the other Slytherins filed in after him. Harry nipped in quickly before they closed the door, his heart beating wildly. This was it

The Room was packed with several stacks of shelves that were split into several rows, leaving aisles for people to walk down and make their selection. Each shelf was stocked with various different devices and contraptions that Harry hadn't seen before, although he spotted several more of the Smoke bombs that Malfoy had used in the Hall. Both the room and shelves stretched away into the distance, with no sign of coming to end. There were thousands of objects on the shelves, and Harry couldn't help but feel that none of the Slytherins could figure out how they worked.

Several chairs were arranged in front of a small raised area. The Slytherins all sat down, while Malfoy took centre stage. He was clearly enjoying himself. Harry positioned himself in one of the aisles where no one could accidentally bump into him. One everyone was settled Malfoy cleared his throat and began to speak.

"You're all here for one reason: Your relatives are all Death Eaters."

There were subdued protestations from the assembled Slytherins. Harry had a feeling that a year or two ago they would have been a lot more vocal. Malfoy held up a hand until they fell quiet again.

"You'll also know that certain… people," he spat the last word out. "…are responsible for putting them in Azkaban. Well, now we have a chance to get back at everyone who opposes the Dark Lord." Malfoy's eyes shined with excitement. "You've seen what I did on the Express and in the Hall, heard me talk about the rewards. There's more to come, something big. Are you with me?" There was a muted response, without any real general agreement . Malfoy laughed harshly at their indecisiveness. "Still not convinced? Perhaps this will help." He clicked his fingers and folded his arms smugly.

Harry heard movement behind him and turned around. Three Death Eaters were striding down the aisles towards him. Harry shrank back from them as he approached and was able to dodge around them without being noticed. All three of the Death Eaters were masked but while two of them wore the standard black robes the one in the middle's robes were a deep scarlet. The Slytherins jumped to their feet in alarm at the sight of them and several turned towards the door, only to find that Crabbe and Goyle blocking their way out.

"Please, calm down," said the Scarlet Death Eater, who seemed to be in charge. He spoke in a deep, soothing voice that Harry found somehow reassuring. There was something familiar about it too, but Harry couldn't figure out what it was. "We were sent here by the Dark Lord in preparation for the changes he has planned that will be happening soon. We are safely installed here in several locations of Hogwarts and are preparing ourselves but we need your assistance. We need you to be our eyes and ears." The Slytherins all stared at him open mouthed, hanging off his every word.

"You have seen how well Draco has carried out several of our operations, and we reward our helpers. Draco, you shall be in charge of those who chose to join us."

Malfoy's chest swelled with pride at this and he sneered at the Slytherins who still looked unsure.

"You others, should you choose to join us, will also be rewarded for your services, and be looked upon favourably once the Dark Lord has achieved power. In fact…" he reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a large bag that rattled with the sound of coins. He threw it into the midst of the Slytherins. "Consider it a thankyou for attending this meeting. Now, who wishes to join? Please stand up if you do."

The Slytherins all looked at each other hesitantly, only for each of them to see their own greed mired in each other's eyes. Each and every one of them got to their feet.

"Excellent," said the Scarlet Death Eater. "Now, for now your first duties you will need to-"

But Harry was unable to hear anymore because as he crept closer he tripped on the hem of the invisibility cloak, causing him to stumble and fall against one of the shelves, which rattled loudly.

Instantly Everyone had turned towards him, pulling their wands out. "Someone is here," said the Scarlet Death Eater menacingly. "Not a friend of yours I trust, Draco?"

Malfoy's eyes were filled with suspicion. "No, I think I know who it is."

Harry thought fast, he needed a distraction now. A desperate idea formed in his mind. If it had worked once before… Whipping out his wand, he quickly pointed it at the shelves and yelled. "_Reducto!_"

The spell hit the shelf holding the Smoke Bombs and they tumbled to the floor. Instantly the thick black smoke started billowing out and covering the room, leaving The Death Eaters and Slytherins into confusion. Harry quickly grabbed one of the devices that had landed without being activated. He'd show it to Dumbledore as soon as possible. Harry took a deep breath and flung himself into the smoke.

After a bunch of stuff had happened, (3) Harry found the door leading out and hurriedly flung it open. He jumped out into the corridor, coughing violently. He stumbled down the corridor a little way, while behind him several Slytherins tumbled out of the room, gasping for air. Harry ducked around a corner and flung the invisibility cloak off, breathing in gratefully. He couldn't stay where he was for long, he knew. If the Slytherins found him outside the Room there would be trouble.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and froze, before turning around very slowly.

"So Harry," said Professor Willow. "What did you discover in there?"

**Appendix**

(1) The Clearus Potion - Originally used to dissolve bricks or debris when removing old buildings, until one day someone drank some by mistake and found that their cold cleared instantly.

(2) In my mind's eye Snape is nonchalantly drinking a goblet of Clearus as he emerges like it's no big deal.

(3) I couldn't see what was happening because of all the smoke


	10. Hidden Secrets That Are Hidden… Secretly

-Chapter Nine-

_Hidden Secrets That Are Hidden… Secretly_

"So what do you think it is?"

Harry watched Professor Willow as he sat cross-legged on the desk of the classroom they had quickly ducked into. Harry had shown him the smoke bomb he had taken and Willow had whipped out a pair of glasses (which he called his 'Brainy Specs') and was examining the smoke bomb intently.

"I have no idea," said Willow. "Never seen anything like it. Which is very worrying."

"Why?" asked Harry, confused.

"Because part of an Auror's job is to be able to recognise anything from the Wizarding World at a moments notice. This object is from neither the Wizarding nor Muggle Worlds."

"So what does that mean?" asked Harry, slightly unnerved by where the conversation was heading.

"That this situation could be a lot bigger than it seems," said Willow, handing the smoke bomb back to Harry absent-mindedly and getting up from the desk."Tell me everything that happened in that room."

He listened on in silence as Harry quickly told him everything that had happened, a grim look on his face. "So, should we tell Dumbledore?" asked Harry once he had finished.

"No," said Willow abruptly. "_I'll_ tell Dumbledore. You need to return to your common room and. Do not tell anyone about this." He suddenly snatched the Bomb out of Harry's hand and was out through the door before what he had said had fully sunk in. "Hey, wait a minute!" cried Harry, hurrying out into the corridor. But there was no sign of anyone. Willow had vanished.

"So what did you do?" Asked Hermione.

Harry looked at her. He was sitting with Ron and Hermione in a group of armchairs closest to the the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry had just finished telling Ron and Hermione what he'd seen, much to their horror.

"Well, I ran to Dumbledore's office, hoping to head Willow off but there was no sign of him. I tried various passwords like Cockroach Cluster, Jelly Slugs, Flavoured Warts (1), but none of them worked."

Ron shook his head in confusion. "But why doesn't he want us involved?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Harry asked, his temper flaring up suddenly. "He wants to try and deal with it by himself so that the Ministry can pretend that it never happened! They don't want to admit that Voldemort managed to get past their precious additional security and made them look bad!"

Ron and Hermione looked at him in alarm for a few moments, shocked by his outburst.

"So… what do we do now?" asked Ron hesitatingly. "Without that smoke bomb nobody will believe you."

"The Death Eaters can't have just been hiding in the Room of Requirement," said Harry thoughtfully. "Where else could they be hiding?" They all sat in silence for a minute, each one going over possible places in their heads.

"The third floor!" said Hermione suddenly. "The room on the third floor corridor, where the Philosopher's Stone was!"

"That's it!" cried Harry, leaping to his feet. "Let's check it out!"

"But what about the Room of Requirement?" asked Ron. "There might still be something there."

"You're right," said Harry. "I'll go and check it out, you guys have a look at the Third Floor Corridor. But be careful!"

Harry rushed over to the room of Requirement as fast as he could, but was disappointed to find that the door into the room had vanished. He tried walking backwards and forwards while thinking various phrases that could match up to what he had seen, but the door stubbornly refused to appear. Eventually Harry gave up and decided to make his way to the corridor on the third floor, only to meet Ron and Hermione on the way. "Find anything?"

"No luck," said Ron apologetically. "Place is all sealed up and the door looks like it hasn't been opened in years. Hermione tried to open it with some charms but Filch turned up and chased us off."

"I don't think they could have hidden there anyway," said Hermione. "That door's the only way into those rooms and the Death Eaters wouldn't want to be seen in the corridors. Besides, everyone knows about it, I'm sure the teachers would be quick to check it."

Harry shook his head in disappointment. "They must be somewhere else then."

"It would have to be big, somewhere they could all operate from," said Ron thoughtfully.

"And it would have to be well hidden, somewhere not even the Teachers know of," added Hermione. "What do you think, Harry?"

Harry had walked away a few steps, lost in thought. Finally he turned around.

"They're in the Chamber Of Secrets."

"It makes sense!" said Harry excitedly as he they headed towards the Girl's Bathroom. "The Chamber was used by Voldemort when he was younger to terrorise the school, so he'd have told the Death Eaters how to open it, and what better place to carry out his work than the secret chamber of Salazar Slytherin (2)?"

"I really do think we should tell Dumbledore Harry!" said Hermione breathlessly as she tried to keep up.

"Yeah mate, you've gotta calm down. Dumbledore will know what to do!" said Ron.

"Dumbledore doesn't seem to want my help," snapped Harry. "In which case I don't want his. Let's go."

They reached the door to the bathroom and stopped. Harry motioned from Ron and Hermione to stay where they were and crept forward and put an ear to the door and listened intently, but could not hear anything (3). He carefully pushed the door open, wand at the ready, and stepped inside.

The bathroom was empty. Harry leaned out and indicated to Ron and Hermione that it was all clear.

"Where's Moaning Myrtle?" asked Ron as they stepped inside. "Thought she'd be in here causing all the toilets to flood or something." Moaning Myrtle was the ghost of a former student who had died and still not gotten over it, and was known to get upset over anything and everything. Today, though, the bathroom was completely empty.

"So how do you open the Chamber?" asked Hermione, interested despite herself. She had been left petrified the last time it had been opened and had been unable to see it.

"It's fairly simple," said Harry, crossing over to one of the sinks. "I just need to command it to open in Parseltongue." He cleared his throat and attempted to say "Open up", but to him it just sounded like a random hiss. The sink immediately sank into the ground, revealing a pipe wide enough for them to step into.

"Well done, Harry!" said Ron, giving Harry a slap on the back.

But Harry was looking at the Entrance in growing horror. "I didn't say anything, somebody must be coming out! Hide!"

Each of them ducked into separate cubicles, hastily locking the doors. Harry sat on the toilet and drew his legs up, determined not to be seen. On the other side of the door he could hear the sound of someone emerging from the Entrance and heavy footsteps as they crossed the room, only for the footsteps to stop suddenly, and then the person turning around.

Harry held his breath. Whoever it was had noticed the locked cubicles.

The footsteps resumed, more slowly, and began pacing around the room. Harry saw a shadow appear at the foot of the door and stop. He slowly pulled out his wand. _Just go, nothing to see here. I didn't hear you._ He thought desperately. Eventually, the figure turned away from the door, apparently giving up. Harry began to breathe a sigh of relief just as the door was smashed open.

Harry was grabbed by two large hands and thrown out of the cubicle by the Death Eater that had found him, hitting the opposite cubicle with a loud crash. From inside it he heard Ron swear loudly. The Death Eater reached into its robe for its wand. Harry went to grab his own but it wasn't there - it had been flung away from him in the struggle and was lying against the far wall. In desperation Harry flung himself forward, grabbing the Death Eater's wrist with both hands and trying to knock it's wand away, but the Death Eater had tremendous strength and effortlessly threw him off, sending him across the room and hitting the wall, landing near his wand and stunning him.

The Death Eater was raising his wand for a finishing spell when the cubicle door behind him was flung open and Ron leapt out, wand at the ready. "_Stupe-_"

The Death Eater reacted faster than lightning, spinning around and hitting Ron with a spell at point blank range. Ron was flung back into the cubicle and landed with a loud crash. He did not get up.

"RON!" bellowed Harry in alarm, grabbing his wand and staggering to his feet. He raised his wand and shouted "_STUPEFY!". _Two bolts hit the Death Eater simultaneously - one from Harry's wand and the other from behind - and he fell to the floor, revealing Hermione behind him, wand also raised. Without even bothering to examine the Death Eater she hurried over to Ron, her face white. Harry hurried over, quickly checking that the Death Eater was unconscious, and examined Ron.

"I think he's okay," said Harry in relief. "He's just unconscious." Harry fought down the panic that was building inside. It was his fault Ron was here. If anything happened to him… "We need to get Ron to the Hospital Wing," he continued. "Help me with him!" They tried to lift him up but the small cubicle made it difficult to pick him up with pulling him out first, and they were too worried that doing so could harm Ron even more and eventually they had to give up.

"We'll have to go for help," said Harry. "Come on, it'll only take a minute!"

"I'm not leaving him!" cried Hermione. "And one of us needs to stay here to guard him!" she indicated the unconscious Death Eater.

"All right, fine. I'll be back in a minute!" said Harry quickly, before rushing out of the room.

Harry ran through the corridors as fast as he could, hoping to get to the Hospital Wing before it was too late. He turned a corner and suddenly heard voices ahead of him. He approached the next corner cautiously but was relieved when McGonagall and Willow appeared round the corner.

"What is it, Potter?" asked McGonagall as she noticed Harry.

"Professor, it's Ron. He's been injured by a Death Eater."

"A Death Eater? Where?" asked Willow urgently.

"In the girl's bathroom, follow me!" said Harry. He lead them back through the corridors and they were soon outside the Girl's bathroom. "It's in here," said Harry, opening the door. "We knocked him -" he broke off in surprise at what was waiting for him in the bathroom.

Both Ron and Hermione were lying unconscious on the floor, the Death Eater had vanished and the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was closed.

Willow crossed to Hermione and Ron and checked them over. Hermione had a nasty looking gash in her forehead. "They should be okay. We need to get them to the sickbay quickly, though." He waved his wand and two stretcher's appeared beneath Ron and Hermione, lifting them carefully off the floor and floating out of the room with Willow close behind.

"Would you care to explain what has happened, Potter?" asked McGonagall, staring at Harry with a hint of suspicion.

Harry took a deep breath and told her everything that had happened. McGonagall listened on with a growing look of disbelief on her face. "Potter, you can't be serious," she aid after he had finished. "The very idea of Death Eaters being in Hogwarts…"

"I know what I saw!" said Harry loudly. He was fed up of people not believing him. "I know it sounds ridiculous but it's the truth! Now we have to tell Dumbledore."

McGonagall stared at him for a few moments, before finally nodding her head. "Very well. Come with me." She turned and left, Harry close behind.

They arrived outside Dumbledore's office shortly thereafter. Harry had tried asking McGonagall about what Dumbledore was doing that kept him hidden away so much, but she only responded with vague answers. Harry was beginning to wonder whether even she didn't know what Dumbledore was doing. Could that mean that Dumbledore didn't trust anyone? Could Harry? Had just told everything to the wrong person? He shook his head. He was starting to get paranoid.

McGonagall leaned towards the stone gargoyle that blocked the entrance."Chocolate Frog."

The gargoyle did not move.

McGonagall tried again. "Chocolate Frog!" but the gargoyle remained still. McGonagall let out a sigh of frustration. "Professor Dumbledore must have changed it again. Come with me, Potter." The two of them walked to the Staffroom. Once they were there McGonagall turned to Harry. "Wait here, I will be back once I've gotten the password." She stepped inside and closed the door.

Left alone, Harry leaned against the wall. He hadn't realised how exhausted he was. His back ached from where he'd landed after being thrown across the room by the Death Eater. He hoped McGonagall wouldn't take long - Who knew what the Death Eaters were up to?

Minutes crawled by, and there was still no sign of McGonagall. Harry tried to enter but the door wouldn't budge. What was taking so long? He hoped Willow had gotten Ron and Hermione to the Hospital Wing okay.

Willow… Would he go back to the bathroom and try to find the entrance to the Chamber? He'd be wasting his time anyway, it could only be opened by speaking Parseltongue. In a sudden burst of frustration Harry knocked on the door as loudly as he could, but there was no sign of any movement from inside. What was taking so long?

After another twenty minutes Harry couldn't wait any longer. If he couldn't get help from McGonagall or Dumbledore he'd have to go with Willow.

Harry arrived back at the Girl's Bathroom and went straight in. He was not surprised to find Willow looking around the room, examining everything carefully. "Are you looking for something, Professor?"

Willow spun around. "Harry! Why are you doing here? Your friends are fine, but you should be telling Dumbledore what happened!"

"Yes, we went to Dumbledore's office but he-"

"-was busy?" finished Willow. "I know. He spends nearly all of his time now working some top secret project of his against Lord Voldemort."

"Too busy to make sure Hogwarts is safe?" asked Harry in disbelief.

"The thought of Hogwarts being invaded doesn't occur to the Wizarding World. There are too many precautions taken to ensure none of the schools can be invaded. Which is why I'm here."

"You?" asked Harry, confused.

"Yep, as a precaution!" said Willow cheerfully. "There have been occasional sightings of Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. Hogwarts was in need of a Defence Against the Darks Art Teacher so I took the position."

"But why have you been working alone?" asked Harry incredulously. "I could have helped! Look at what I found by myself!"

"I know, and you have done well, but you are too young Harry. You are not of age yet." said Willow with finality.

Harry fought down the rage inside of him and played his trump card. "And now you're trying to find the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets? You won't be able to without my help."

"How so?"

Harry smiled in victory. "Only someone who can speak Parseltongue can open it."

Willow laughed. He knew when he was beaten. "All right Harry, open it."

Harry turned to the sink and and hissed "Open." Before their eyes the sink slid into the ground and the opening appeared.

"Brilliant Harry!" grinned Willow. "Shall we?"

Harry stepped up to the pipe and slid his body into it, sliding into the darkness...

**Appendix**

(1) A flavoured jelly sweet that bursts when squeezed, releasing variety of flavoured juices. Not very popular.

(2) Not many people realise that there was another Chamber of Secrets, apparently created by Rowena Ravencalw, allegedly as a place to pine after loved one's whose hearts are already taken. It was only discovered in the 50th Century after the ruins of Hogwarts were discovered and it is not known if anyone ever used it.

(3) All rooms at Hogwarts have soundproof charms cast on them


	11. Secrets in the Chamber

-Chapter Ten-

_Secrets in the Chamber_

Harry had forgotten how unpleasant the descent down the pipe was, falling at an incredible speed. Fortunately he reached the bottom fairly quickly, shooting out of the pipe and skidding to a halt. He got to his feet in a daze, before being knocked over as Willow arrived.

"Sorry about that," said Willow as he climbed to his feet. "That was quite a trip! Where to now?"

Harry got up and looked around. He pulled out his wand and whispered "_Lumos!_". The tip of his wand lit up and beside him Willow did the same. The tunnel leading down to the Chamber of Secrets hadn't changed much. The floor and walls were still damp and slimy, although Harry could hear faint sounds coming from down the tunnel.

"This way," whispered Harry, setting off down the tunnel, trying to look more confident than he felt.

The two of them walked slowly down the corridor, occasionally jumping at imagined noises. There was no sign of the discarded Basilisk skin that had been lying in the tunnel on Harry's previous visit (1), and Harry worried for a few minutes that there could be another one lurking about, but it would have surely made itself known by now.

As they got further down the corridor the noise start to become more distinct and they could make out the sound of people moving about, and voices. Harry could hear Malfoy's sneering tones ordering people about.

After they turned another corner they culled see a light up ahead. They couldn't be far away from the Chamber now, so Harry quickly whispered "_Nox_" andsignalled for Willow to do the same. Once done, Willow quickly took the lead and motioned for Harry to keep quiet. Together they crept up to the final turn of the tunnel and peered round cautiously.

While the tunnel hadn't changed much, the Chamber of Secrets looked considerably different now. Between the columns there were several different computer banks and other sophisticated contraptions, each one manned by a Death Eater. In the centre of the room was what appeared to be a large basin, at least 20ft wide. Harry could see several Slytherins doing various odd-jobs around the room. He spotted Crabbe and Goyle lugging around several cables that were connecting up to the computer banks and leading away through several doors that Harry could not recall seeing on his previous visit. There were also several different cauldrons lined up against the back wall, a different potion bubbling in each one. Dominating the back wall was the huge statue of Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts who had built the Chamber after disagreeing with the other founder's beliefs. A large catwalk had been erected in the Chamber, creating an effective second floor. Harry could see several more computer banks up there, and was not surprised to see Draco Malfoy standing up in front of the statue of Slytherin, lording over everything that was happening (2).

Harry and Willow ducked back round the corner where they couldn't be seen. "Well, I'm guessing all that wasn't there last time." Whispered Willow.

"Definitely not," replied Harry. "What do we do now?"

"We need to get closer," said Willow thoughtfully, staring into space, thinking hard. "I want to see those computers more closely."

"My invisibility cloak!" said Harry suddenly. "It's up in my trunk, I can get it and be back here in around 15 minutes."

"No, that's no good," said Willow, shaking his head. "It's very busy in there - we might not have much time." He walked back to the corner and peeped round back into the Chamber. A Death Eater was walking by the entrance at just that moment. Willow pulled out his wand, and with a quick wave sent a small amount of pebbles flying onto the Death Eater. It reacted instantly, turning around and marching towards the tunnel. Willow ducked back. "Quickly, this way!" he hissed dragging Harry back around the corner.

They pressed themselves into the corner and waited for the Death Eater to walk past them. As soon as it passed them Willow stepped out behind it and quickly sent it flying with a quick burst of magic from his wand. Caught off guard, the Death Eater was flung forwards, hitting the ground with a crash.

After quickly checking that they hadn't been overheard, Willow knelt down beside the Death Eater. "When in doubt a disguise usually works," he whispered, reaching for the Death Eater's mask. Harry watched with baited breath and couldn't help but wonder who exactly it was they had taken out…

Willow tried to remove the mask only to find some resistance. Confused, Willow pulled harder and the mask came free. He froze, staring into the Death Eater's robe. "No… impossible!"

Confused, Harry moved closer to get a better look. What he saw was unbelievable.

**Appendix**

(1) While it may look thin, Basilisk Skin is surprisingly strong and durable and is highly sought after in the making of armour. It was once not uncommon for people to try breeding their own basilisks in an effort to take their skin when it was discarded, but after the near-apocalyptic Basilisk Breakout of '89 the practice was strictly forbidden.

(2) I feel obliged to point out here that I have not seen film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets so the description of the Chamber is from my own imagination, not the film


	12. Networking

-Chapter Eleven-

_Networking_

There was no face beneath the mask. Instead Harry could see several wires and electronics running through the robe. Several lights were blinking on and off quickly and the Death Eater's hands convulsed wildly. Willow quickly reached in and pulled a few wires loose and the Death Eater was still.

"I don't understand, what does this mean?" asked Harry in confusion.

Willow looked at him, his face grim. "It's not a Death Eater. It's a robot."

"A robot?" asked Harry. He had a vague memory of watching a film involving robots while living with the Dursleys. "Does this mean that all of the others are like that?"

"Very likely," said Willow, reaching in and beginning to pull out more of the Death Eater's innards. "And if Voldemort has found out out how to have robotics work in the Wizarding World then this is very, very bad." He finished pulling out the last of the electronics from the Death Eater's robe and slipped it on, pulling the hood over his head and putting on the mask. "I'm going to go for a quick look around. Stay here." Before Harry could protest he slipped quickly into the Chamber and Harry soon lost sight of him amongst all of the other Death Eaters.

Harry fumed. He was being sidelined again! He had to get in there and do something. Deciding to take a risk, Harry leaned around the corner and saw that the Death Eaters had temporarily moved away from the entrance. Seizing the moment, Harry darted out quickly and was able to get behind one of the computer banks without being spotted. Once there, he had a quick look around. Not too far away was one of the doors in the wall. Harry was just contemplating how to find a way to it without being spotted when it was provided for him. Crabbe and Goyle were carrying an inactive terminal to it's designated spot when Goyle tripped on a loose slab, losing his grip and sending the terminal crashing to the floor.

"Idiots!" shouted Malfoy from up above. "Be more careful!" Harry acted quickly and dashed to the door, slipping inside it in seconds. He pulled the door to and peered out through the opening. No one seemed to have noticed his quick dash. Two Death Eaters were lifting up the terminal and Crabbe and Goyle looked shamefaced. "Go and get some of those, er, 'cables' from the storeroom," snapped Malfoy, his lips forming the unfamiliar word uncertainly. Crabbe and Goyle snapped to attention and made their way towards the store room, which Harry was horrified to see was the room he was hiding in. Behind them Malfoy began shouting several instructions, clearly enjoying himself. "You, Hurry up with those tests! Nott, don't get any of those connections wrong."

Harry looked around the room frantically for a hiding place. It was not a large room but there were several crates against the back wall. Harry hastily ran to the nearest one and crouched behind it quickly. He was just in time. Crabbe and Goyle stepped into the storeroom and crossed to one of the other boxes. They grabbed a jumble of cables from it and left.

Left alone, Harry took the opportunity to have look in the rest of the crates. All of them were full of Muggle objects that looked familiar but still seemed alien to him (1). He wondered how Willow was getting on. Had he discovered anything? Harry tried searching the crates for any spare robes but there was no sign of any. Deciding to see if there was anything else he could learn, Harry opened the door and peeked out.

He was still in luck: Everyone was busy on the far side of the room. Some of the Slytherins were feeding several hoses into the basin in the centre of the Chamber. Could they be digging for something? Harry wished he could get closer but it was too risky. He decided to head back up to the surface and fetch his invisibility cloak and try again.

He slipped through the door and made his way back towards the tunnel as quickly and quietly as he could. His eyes never left the group of Death Eaters and Slytherins, but luckily they didn't notice him. He reached the tunnel and began to make his way back to the pipe he had travelled down.

"POTTER!" cried a voice behind him suddenly.

Harry spun around. Malfoy was staring right at him, horror and anger both visible on his face. At his shout the Death Eaters and Slytherins spun around to see what was happening. Harry hesitated for only a second before turning and running into the tunnel. Behind him he could hear running footsteps accompanied by Malfoy shouting. "Stop him!"

Harry ran and ran as fast as he could, his heart pounding madly in his chest. He couldn't remember the tunnel being this long… surely he must be near the end now! Finally he rounded a corner and found himself back at the pipe that led back up to the bathroom. Hope sprang up in Harry's chest before he realised that there was no phoenix to give him a lift back up this time. How could he climb out? (2) He heard footsteps behind him and realised he was too late. In a last desperate gamble he pulled out his wand and turned to face his pursuers.

The Death Eaters rounded the corner far quicker than he expected, and Harry barely had time to shoot off a spell before they were on top of him. He struggled mightily, trying to shout various spells but before he old form a coherent one a hand was clamped over his mouth and he was soon restrained by several Death Eaters. Harry was bundled back into the Chamber of Secrets, where he found himself facing Malfoy and and the Slytherins.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," sneered Malfoy, relishing the moment. "So what is this Potter? Another one of your pathetic attempts at stopping the Dark Lord?" The Slytherins all guffawed with laughter. "Did you have a nice run Potter? Not too tired I hope!" Teased Pansy Parkinson, laughing loudly at her own joke. Harry glared back silently, determined not to rise to their insults.

"So what shall we do with the _Chosen One_?" Malfoy asked the Slytherins, spitting out the words in disgust. "I'm sure I'm not the only one here with a grudge against Potter." Crabbe and Goyle laughed, cracking their knuckles menacingly, and Harry saw a few other Slytherins pull their wands out, a malicious glare on their faces. Harry could guess why. They were the sons of the Death Eaters Harry had managed to get sent to Azkaban last year. "Or shall we let the Death Eaters have piece of him?" The Slytherins laughed and jeered in response to this. Malfoy sneered at Harry. "Look around you, Potter. Look at what the Dark Lord has now. Not even Dumbledore could comprehend half of the things in this room."

"Neither could you!" retorted Harry. "Why are you even taking part in this Malfoy? Do you think you can be a better Death Eater than your father?"

Malfoy went white with rage and Harry thought for a moment that Malfoy was going to strike him. "Put him in the storage, I'll decide what to do with him in a minute." Some of the colour returned to his face and he smiled again. The Death Eaters began to drag Harry over to the room he had hidden before. "There's so many things we could do to you, Potter." Malfoy called after him as he was dragged away. "We're going to have o go over our options!"

Suddenly everything happened at once. One of the Death Eater's feet suddenly slipped out from beneath him and he lost his balance, taking Harry with him and throwing them both to the floor. "Run." whispered Willow's voice in Harry's ear, and he quickly jumped to his feet and ran to one of the doors more or less at random, flinging it open and throwing himself through. He landed in a large puddle of what was hopefully water, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Other than the light from the Chamber it was pitch black in the tunnel, so Harry quickly moved out of the light that was coming through the door and hid in the darkness. He saw the Death Eaters appear in the doorway.

"Wait!" he heard Malfoy cry. "Don't follow, just leave him in there." Harry could hear the satisfaction in his voice. "The Stygnax will get him." The door suddenly slammed shut, leaving Harry alone in the darkness. What on earth was a Stygnax? As if in answer to his question, there was a deep growl from bend him. Fighting down the fear that was growing in his chest, Harry quickly reached for his wand.

His hand grabbed only air. The Death Eaters had taken it off him.

Harry took a deep breath. There was no need to panic. All he had to do was find a way out… behind him he could hear a funny snuffling sound and the scrape of claws and the scrape of a large body being pulled across the ground towards him. Hoping that the Stygnax, if that's what it was, was as blind as he was, Harry crept forwards, careful to not make a sound. Eventually after what felt like hours his hand found the door handle and pulled, but it wouldn't move. He was locked in.

Suddenly he felt something sharp brush against the back of his legs. Before he could react the snuffling became a roar and his back suddenly exploded with pain as the Stygnax raked its claw across his back. Harry cried out in agony and ran forward blindly, desperate to get away from the creature behind him. His hands suddenly felt a wall in front of him and began to run his hands across it desperately. There must be _something_, there must! Behind him he could hear the Stygnax hauling its body towards him as quickly as it could, eager to finish him off. Suddenly Harry's hands found another metal ring. Hardly able to believe his luck, Harry grasped with it with both hands and pulled hard. He heard the scrape of metal and saw a shaft light appear just in front of him. As soon as it was wide enough, he flung himself through.

Harry blinked in the sudden light but quickly turned around to shut the door before the Stygnax could follow him through. He got a quick glimpse of some terrible monstrosity pulling itself towards him before he shut the door tightly. Breathing heavily, Harry turned around to survey where he now was.

He appeared to be in one of the many secret passage of the castle. The sun was shining through a solitary window and illuminating the whole corridor. Harry could see several suits of armour and empty picture frames, all of which were caed in dust. Harry crossed to the window and tried to look outside, only to find that it seemed to be an old window frame that had been bewitched to show a lovely summer's day from the seaside. Harry looked around the rest of the corridor and saw a staircase that disappeared up into the depths of the castle. Resolving to get back up to Hogwarts and alert someone, Harry quickly made for the staircase.

Harry climbed upwards for a very long time and had no idea at all how far he was from the top, nor where in Hogwarts he was now. Finally he reached the top, much to his relief. At the top was yet another door, and Harry opened it. On the other side was another corridor much like the one he had left down below, only this time there were several doors spaced evenly on both sides, with a single one against the far wall. Deciding to be a cautious, Harry crept to the nearest one and opened it slightly.

Through the gap he saw various shelves and weapons. It was the Room of Requirement! Had he found a back way into it somehow? Movement caught his eye and he saw a Death Eater appear in one of the aisles, patrolling the area. Harry ducked back quickly, closing the door. Not for the first time, he cursed not bringing his invisibility cloak with him.

Harry picked another of the doors at random and opened it cautiously. A short tunnel greeted him and he headed down it. At the end was another door with a small viewpoint set in. Harry crept up to the door and peeked through.

At first he couldn't understand what he was seeing but he soon recognised the room - it was McGonagall's office! Harry tried the door but it was shut fast and wouldn't open. He spied a funny looking metal panel set into the wall. With vague memories of various science fiction films, Harry pressed his palm against the panel. It glowed brightly for a few seconds, then turned a bright red and emitted a harsh buzz before falling dormant again. No way out that way.

Harry returned to the corridor and checked the next couple of doors. Each one lead to tunnels of varying lengths. Some were simple short walks and in others Harry found himself having to use ladders to reach other floors of Hogwarts. It soon became apparent that each tunnel lead to a different area that Harry recognised. Some lead to the Professor's offices while others led to other areas such as the Great Hall and the Hospital Wing, where he could see Ron and Hermione still unconscious in their beds. He tried banging on the door and shouting, but no one seemed to hear him. Every door he came across had the same panels, preventing him from leaving through them. The Death Eaters had a whole network of tunnels throughout Hogwarts at their disposal. But where had it all come from? Harry had looked at the Marauders Map many times but had never seen anything like this on it.

Finally there was only one doorway left: The single one at the far end of the corridor. Hoping that this would lead to a way out of these tunnels, Harry opened it and set off determinedly down the corridor. This one went a short distance before ascending upwards via a rickety-looking spiral staircase. Harry ascended carefully, trying his best not to make much noise. At the top was yet another doorway. Harry opened it and suddenly found himself in a very small area full of clothes hanging on hangars. He was in a wardrobe! Harry accidentally knocked a splendid looking pair of robes off of their hangars, creating a large clanging sound. Harry hastily stilled them with his hand but it was too late. The wardrobe doors were flung open.

"Harry? How did you get in there?" asked Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor!" cried Harry in surprise. "Where am I?"

"In my office, Harry," replied Dumbledore. "I think you'll be more comfortable if you came out of there." He stepped back and as Harry stepped into his office Dumbledore leaned into the wardrobe and shook his head in surprise. "In all of my years living here I have never noticed that passageway before. Tell me, where does it lead?"

"It leads everywhere!" sad Harry, quickly regaining his wits. "And it's controlled by Death Eaters!"

"Death Eaters?" said Dumbledore urgently, sitting behind his desk. "Quickly, tell me everything."

So Harry told him about everything that had happened, from seeing Malfoy and the mysterious figure in Diagon Alley to the lair that the Death Eaters had established in the Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore remained silent throughout the whole thing, the only movement from him being his eyes widening in horror and surprise as the enormity of the situation became clear.

"I've been trying to tell you for ages," said Harry finally. "But you've never been here!" He felt his anger rising at Dumbledore, despite everything he had just been through.

Dumbledore remained silent for a few moments after Harry had finished his tale, and when he spoke there was sadness and regret in his eyes.

"Harry, I must apologise for not being available. What I have been doing has been of the utmost performance, and I think it shall be enormously significant in the defeat of Lord Voldemort."

"But the Death Eaters in the Chamber…"

"Yes, you're quite right, this must be dealt with first." said Dumbledore determinedly. "Leave this to me. The first matter will be to assemble the Order, and then they shall-"

"NO!" Shouted Harry, leaping to his feet. "Why am I always being left out of things?"

"For your own good," said Dumbledore, his voice hardening. "You have already done enough."

"YOU SAID THAT IT WAS FOR MY OWN GOOD LAST TIME, REMEMBER?" shouted Harry. "YOU SAID YOU WOULD BE MORE OPEN ABOUT THINGS, THAT I'D BE INCLUDED MORE! AND WHAT DO YOU DO? SHUT YOURSELF AWAY SO MUCH THAT NOT EVEN THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ORDER HAVE A CLUE WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" Finally out of breath Harry fell silent, panting heavily. Dumbledore did not make eye contact with Harry at first, and when he there was a look in them that Harry couldn't quite decipher.

"You're right." said Dumbledore finally. "Your efforts to discover what young Draco has been up to have been excellent. I shall need your help in solving this problem."

Harry smiled and sat down. It felt like a great weight had been lifted from his mind. "I just don't understand how those tunnels got there. Perhaps it's something to do with the Room of Requirement?"

"Its possible…" said Dumblredore, watching Harry carefully.

"Perhaps… Perhaps you merely wish for a room that requires a network of tunnels to there places?" asked Harry. Dumbledore smiled and nodded encouragingly. "And then you have someone on permanent guard there, and you have those tunnels for as long as you like!" finished Harry triumphantly.

"Wonderful Harry!" cried Dumbledore. "Absolutely spot on!"

"Really?" laughed Harry. "How can you be so sure sir?"

Dumbledore smiled coldly. "Because I organised its creation. They were made so that any escaping prisoner would be lead to here."

Before Harry could react Dumbledore leapt to his feet and waved his wand. Instantly chains sprang up from the ground and wrapped around Harry, securing him to the chair. "What an amazing thing this magic is," said Dumbledore, looking at his wand admirably.

Harry stared at Dumbledore in horror, struggling against his chains. "Professor, what are you doing?"

Dumbledore rolled his eyes. "For someone so special you are rather lacking in intelligence Harry."

And before Harry's eye's Dumbledore's body began to change. His beard grew shorter, his eyes changed from benevolent blue into dark burning ones that stared with such intensity that Harry flinched. His hair darkened and soon it was a different man standing in front of Harry.

"Who…. who are you?" asked Harry, completely dumbfounded by what he had just witnessed.

The man laughed and leaned forward menacingly. "I, Harry, am the Master."

**Appendix**

(1) Although electronics is one of the rare areas that a Muggle can show off and act superior towards a Wizard over there are in fact some Wizards who try to use electronics regularly. This has actually resulted in the invention of a hybrid known as Wizardtronics. Sadly, this has yet to catch on and as a result it is only used by a small amount of Wizards, and thus Wizardtronics can't be used in either worlds. (Except perhaps in some other fanfic that someone else has written.)

(2) There was once an attempt to combine pipe cleaners and ropes in an attempt to enable plumbers and cleaners to work in larger pipes more easily, but it didn't work due to the result being a little too good and absorbing dirt, making them too impractical to climb


	13. Memories

-Chapter Twelve-

_Memories_

Harry looked at the figure watching him, a faint smile on his lips. Harry had thousands of questions whirling about n his head, but all he could manage to stutter was "The Master?"

The Master laughed at Harry's confusion. "I can understand that this is a bit much for you Harry. You've been a most persistent thorn in my side with your snooping."

"But… Where's Dumbledore?" asked Harry.

_It was such a beautiful day, thought Dumbledore. What a shame he didn't have time to enjoy it. He stood on top of the hill and gazed down across the fields that stretched far into the distance. Not too far below he could see the village he had just left, Little Hangleton. He scanned the fields. Eventually his eyes fell upon a forest down below. There, that had to be it._

_He began to descend the hill when the peace was disturb by a strange wheezing, groaning sound as a slight breeze sprung up. Dumbledore reached for his wand. Was this one of Riddle's traps?_

_At the top of the hill, something astonishing was happening. As he watched, a large lump of rock, its shape similar to one of the many monuments that dotted the hills, faded into view _(1)_. For a few seconds afterwards, everything was still, and then a door opened on its side and a man stepped out._

_Dumbledore's hand remained on his wand. "Who are you?"_

_The man ignored the question. "You, what is this place?"_

_Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "This is Bedborough Hill, near the village of Little Hangleton. A most pleasant place, don't you think?"_

_The man laughed, but his eyes remained cold. "No, tell me what world this is." Dumbledore said nothing, moving his hand closer to his wand. There was something odd about this man. An aura he had sensed off only one other person…_

_But the slight movement had caught the Man's attention. "That object in your pocket… what is it?" Dumbledore said nothing. The Man's voice dropped, becoming more soothing. "Show it to me. I am the Master, and you will obey me."_

_A weaker-minded man would have perhaps obeyed in an instant, but Dumbledore was unaffected. "You're going to have to do better than that."_

_A look of fury briefly crossed the Master's face but quickly vanished. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. Almost casually, Dumbledore produced his wand from his robes. The Master pulled a strange-looking wand out of his jacket pocket and pointed it at Dumbledore._

_Dumbledore moved like lighting, raising his wand and shouting "Expelliarmus!" To his astonishment, the spell had no effect at all. The Master laughed ad pressed a button on his owns wand. Instantly a wave of energy washed across Dumbledore, who suddenly found himself shrinking…_

_The Master watched in fascination as Dumbledore's body seemed to melt as he shrank.. Soon he was nothing more then formless puddle of some dark liquid that he had never seen before. Why had the man's body reacted so differently to the Tissue Compression Eliminator? Unable to resist, he walked over to the puddle and place a gloved hand in the liquid. It appeared to be…_

_Suddenly, the liquid started absorbed itself into his hand. The Master tried to move but found he couldn't, and before his eyes the entire puddled vanished inside of him. And that wasn't all. Suddenly his head was full of strange thoughts and flashes of memory. The Master fell to his knees in pain as his head tried to assimilate all of these new memories._

"I have no idea how it happened,' admitted the Master. 'As soon as I recovered I realised how beneficial this would be to my plans and set about altering Dumbledore's arrangements."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But we're at war! Dumbledore was organising the resistance against Voldemort! What if he attacks?"

The Master waved his hand dismissively. "What he does is of no concern to me. He will not be ready to attack for some considerable time, and my plans will have come to fruition before then. And even if he does, I have an easy way to escape." His eyes flickered in the direction of a cabinet Harry hadn't seen before. "But enough of this." The Master pressed a button on his desk and then began to wrap himself in a cowl that Harry recognised as belonging to the chief Death Eater. "What about the Slytherins?"

"They will prove useful as some eyes and ears around this fascinating castle. The fact that they genuinely believe they are working for their so-called "Dark Lord" is an unfortunate necessity." He finished putting on the cloak and produced a Death Eater's Mask from within the cloak and put it on over his face. "Ah, but of course! You will undoubtedly attempt to use that bit of information to turn them against me." He pulled his wand out and pointed it at Harry. Harry tried to throw himself out of the chair but the chains held him tightly in place. "_Silencio!_" cried the Master.

Harry felt as if his throat had closed up. He tried to cry out but could only produce a choking sound, but even that took considerable effort. So that was what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the spell. "And now, we must be going," said the Master. As if on cue, part of the wall slid open revealing two Death Eaters standing in an old-fashioned looking elevator. They stepped out at some unspoken command and grabbed Harry, pulling him out of his chair (The chains fell to the floor as if they had never been attached to anything (2)). They dragged him to the elevator and the Master joined them, the wall closing behind them and the elevator began to move. They descended for several minutes in silence, before slowing to a stop. The wall slid open again and they stepped out. Harry realised that they were back in the Chamber of Secrets, on top of the catwalk he had seen before, having just stepped out of the mouth of Salazar Slytherin's statue. In front of them was Malfoy, lording it up once again while shouting instructions to the Slytherins and Death Eaters below. He turned at the sound of their emerging, his eyes widening at the sight of Harry. "Potter! But I had -"

"He escaped Draco," said the Master, a quiet menace in his voice. "I have recaptured him and do not expect to have to deal with your mistakes again." He clicked his fingers (3) and the Death Eaters began to lead Harry away. Harry struggled with all of his might but the Death Eater's grips were completely unbreakable. "Now, report." He heard the Master say behind him.

At that moment there was a loud beeping from the machines and several lights began to go off on them at once. "We have something!" shouted a Slytherin called Restage Vern. He grabbed a roll of ticker tape and read out the unfamiliar words. "P.S. Located at… co-ordinates 55.78 by 73.89… a concentration of… 32%."

The Master's voice betrayed no hit of how this news affected him. "Activate the pump, full power."

The Death Eaters sprang into action, operating different consoles. The Slytherins looked on, and Harry saw a look of suspicion appear on Malfoy's face. "Hey, how do they all know how to operate this stuff? I've never even seen it before."

The Master's reply was cut off as, with a large _SPLURT _a stream of dark liquid emerged from pipe and into the basin that dominated the room. Harry shuddered. It was the same liquid that had destroyed the Death Eater on the Hogwarts Express. It slowly began to fill up the basin. "That, Draco, is the purpose of these machines." said The Master grandly. "The Dark Lord's plan involves this substance. "

"But what is that stuff? What does it do?" asked Malfoy.

"You wish a demonstration? Very well, let's see how Potter reacts to it shall we?"

Suddenly the Death Eaters holding onto Harry began to move him towards the basin. Harry struggled with all of is might. He had seen what had happened to the Death Eater on the train, and had no desire for it to happen to him!

But no matter how hard he struggled it was no use. The Death Eaters were too strong for him, and soon they were at the edge of the basin. Up above Harry could see the Slytherins watching, laughing and jeering at his plight, While Malfoy leaned over the railing, a hungry look on his face. The Death Eaters braced themselves to throw Harry, who looked down into the oblivion below him helplessly.

"_LECTORIUS SPARKUS!_"

Two bolts of electricity shot out of the wand of the Death Eater who had cried out, hitting the Death Eaters holding Harry squarely in their chests. Instantly they released him and Harry threw himself backwards as they shook wildly as the electricity continued to surge through them, until finally both let off loud explosions and collapsed in a heap, dark smoke pouring from their wounds.

But the Death Eater who wielded the deadly spell did not stop there. Before anyone could react he swung his wand round in a circle, letting the electricity play across the other Death Eaters and machinery, and the room soon rang with the sound of explosions. The Master made to gar his wand but a quick burst of electricity in his direction sent himself, the Slytherins and the Death Eaters on the catwalk ducking nd diving for cover. As all this happened Harry ran for the entrance to the tunnels.

As Harry ran the Death Eater pointed his wand at the Master and Slytherins on the walkway. The Master got wearily to his feet, his mask blown off during the panic. "Anyone moves, and they get some of that!" Shouted the Death Eater, throwing off his hood and mask, revealing the features of Willow beneath.

"YOU!" bellowed the Master. Willow looked at him, first with an incomprehensible look on his face, which was quickly replaced with a determined glare.

"Me." He said simply.

"I should not be surprised to see you, Doctor." said the Master. "Even in this Land you see fit to disrupt my plans. Well no more!" He suddenly went for his wand but Willow already had his raised. "Ah ah ahhhhh! Don't try anything, or there could be a shock for you."

But the Master's sudden movement had been a distraction. One of the damaged Death Eaters, unnoticed by Willow, had managed to get back to it's feet and suddenly lunged for Willow, who only just managed to dodge it. Now the Master had time to grab his wand. "_Avada Kedavra_!" He shouted. A bolt of green magic flew towards Willow, who dogged around and it and caused it to hit the damaged Death Eater, finishing it off.

"Well this is all fun, but we must be going." Said Willow, darting for the tunnels.

"You can run, Doctor, but it will not matter!" cried the Master. He signalled to the few Death Eaters with him on the walkway to pursue Willow and they hurried after him.

Harry, who had watched the whole thing from the safety of the tunnel, joined Willow as he ran past. "We haven't got much time!" shouted Willow as they ran. "We have to climb back up the pipes before they catch up with us!" Harry tried to shout a reply, but the Silencio Charm was still in effect. Willow turned and saw the problem. "Ah, you've been silenced? We can soon fix that!" They both stopped and Willow pulled out his wand. "Remain still Harry, these incantation is very tricky to pull of." Harry nodded, bracing himself.

"_Speakagainus_!"

Instantly Harry's throat cleared and he gratefully took a mouthful of air. But there was no time to stop and chat - behind them came the sound of footsteps. "Quickly!" cried Willow, pulling Harry down the corridor behind him. Up ahead the pipe they had travelled down appeared from the darkness. To Harry it felt like several days had gone past since they had arrived here. "How do we get up there?" he cried as they arrived. Last time he, Ron and Ginny had ascended back to the surface with the help of Fawkes. Come to think of it, where would Fawkes be? After what had happened to Dumbledore…

A blast of magic hit the ceiling above them, sending debris raining down on the two of them and reminding Harry that now wasn't the best time to think about such things. He pulled out his wand and shouted "_Impedimenta_!", causing what was left of the Death Eaters to scatter.

"Hold them off!" shouted Willow. He waved his wand at a complex way at the pipe. Instantly a rope sprang out of his wand and began snaking up the pipe. "Quick, grab the rope!" cried Willow, before grabbing it himself and allowing it to carry him up the pipe.

Harry turned away from the battle and ran for the pipe. Spells shot past him as he ran, but he did not allow that to deter him and leapt to grab the rope.

A spell hit him squarely in the back.

Harry fell forwards as the everything went black.

**Appendix**

(1) Whether or not something "fading into view" is as astonishing to a wizard as it would be to a muggle is a question that will sadly have to remain unanswered.

(2) Must be magic!

(3) Time Lords have the ability to click their fingers whilst wearing gloves


	14. Preparing

-Chapter Thirteen-

_Preparing_

The Master watched what was left of his Death Eaters return empty handed and cursed inwardly. In a single swoop the Doctor had nearly brought his plans crashing down around him! His powerful army of Death Eaters reduced to a handful, his machinery wrecked just as they had found what he was looking for, and now that the Slytherins had seen the Death Eaters for what they really where they were bound to turn on him. Curse that meddling Doctor!

At that very moment Malfoy approached him, a look on his face that would have sent a shiver down the Master's spine if he had found the pathetic boy even remotely intimidating.

"What is all this?" demanded Malfoy, holding up a handful of wires and circuits that he had pulled from one of the damaged Death Eaters. "These are not Death Eaters! Who are you?"

The Master ignored him and turned away, already focusing on more important matters. Malfoy pulled out his wand and the other Slytherins followed suite. "I asked you a question!" The Master turned back towards Malfoy, an amused look on his face. "Well, seeing as you asked so nicely Draco… You are correct. I am not working for your 'Dark Lord' nor anybody else. But do not think that means we can't work together. Observe." He pulled out his wand and with a quick "_Wingardium Leviosa_!" levitated one of the destroyed Death Eaters into the air, lowered it into the substance that filled the basin, and then raised it back up so everyone could see what happened.

The results were instantaneous. The liquid travelled all over the Death Eater's body, causing it to melt until eventually all that remained was a floating mass of the strange substance, which the Master sent back into the basin with a flick of his wand. "Now, imagine that happening to one of your worst enemies." he said, watching the look of horror on the Slytherin's faces being replaced by greed. "Imagine that happening to Potter."

Malfoy smiled.

"Excellent. Now, because of Potter's intervention there are several contingency plans to set up, one of which I must entrust with you."

Malfoy's chest swelled with pride, his loyalty firmly back with the Master. "Whatever you want!"

Rassilon's beard, manipulating these idiots was almost too easy!

Meanwhile, up in Hogwarts (1), one it's many teachers was sat at their desk, marking student's work and ignoring how late it was getting. This day seemed to have just flown by! (2)

A sudden creak from the other sound of the room stopped her from writing a "D" on one particularly appalling pice of work. "Who's there?" she called, and after a few moments of silence got up ad headed towards the door, but on opening it found only the empty corridor outside.

"Evening, Professor!"

She spun round. There, leaning on the windowsill and smirking at her in that annoyingly superior way of his, was Malfoy.

"Malfoy! How on earth did you…" but the Teacher's reply was cut short as a shape appeared from the dark corner of the room and she suddenly found herself face to face with a Death Eater!

The Teacher quickly reached for her wand, but the Death Eater moved like lightning and she soon found herself caught in it's clutches. Malfoy laughed, enjoying the sight.

"What the blazes are you doing?" she shrieked at Malfoy. Malfoy laughed again and reached into is tunic, pulling out a small vial of a strange black liquid. "Sorry to do this Proessor," he said in a voice that didn't sound like he was sorry at all. "But this is a far better role than as a teacher at this pathetic school." He unstoppered the vial and splashed the contents over her face, signalling the Death Eater to let her go.

The Teacher instantly reached for her wand but found it that it seemed to slip out of her grip. She looked down and was horrified to see the black liquid dripping from her fingertips, which were gradually becoming discoloured. Alarmed, she put the other hand to her face where the liquid had touched her face and felt her face sag at her touch. She tried to cry out but her throat was suddenly full of the liquid. Her feet softened beneath her and she fell forwards…

Malfoy watched the entire spectacle, horrified yet entranced. Although he had seen what the stuff had done to the Death Eater earlier he didn't think he'd ever get used to it. In front of him the Teacher lay on the floor, her body melting into a puddle. This substance that The Master was using was incredible! The things that could be done with it were beyond the limits of the imagination. If he could gain some of the substance for himself, he could give it to Voldemort, get his father out of jail, use it to put Potter, the Half-Breeds and the Mudbloods in their proper places…

In front of him the puddle suddenly began to bubble and seethe with life, and as Malfoy watched it began to form into the shape of a formless figure, before the features became more defined and became those of the Teacher. Soon it had transformed into the perfect copy of the Teacher. Malfoy could have never told the difference.

"We're done here, let's go." He said to the Death Eater. The Death Eater instantly turned towards the wall and twisted one of the brackets 90 degrees. Instantly the wall slid open, revealing a passage, and Malfoy and the Death Eater quickly stepped through. The wall shut behind them, leaving no signs of having ever been disturbed.

For a few minutes the room was still, and then the Teacher stirred. She got to her feet and looked around in confusion. What had just happened? Had she fallen asleep? She must be more tired than she thought.

"Excellent Draco, excellent!" said the Master, beaming in satisfaction. Malfoy felt a surge of satisfaction surge through him and he smiled. Suddenly, there was a beeping sound from one of the newly-repaired machines and another stream of paper was released. The Master strode over and grabbed the paper, reading and the displays on the machine intently. "Anything important?"

The Master's grin widened. "Another source has been located, even larger than the last one.. Excellent!" He read some more of the paper and his grin faded. He began mumbling to himself, and Malfoy strained to hear.

"No, that room's in Hogwarts… then how come it wasn't detected before? There aren't any secret passages leading to it… I shall have to handle this very carefully."

"We'll go," said Malfoy instantly. "Me and some of the others could fetch whatever you need…"

"No!" snapped the Master. "There is more to this than meets the eye. I shall go and make my preparations. On no account are you to do anything in my absence." He turned and walked away, deep in thought.

Malfoy waited until the Master had walked up to the hidden entrance within the statue of Salazar Slytherin before he made his move. He walked over to the console the Master had been examining, calling over Crabbe and Goyle as he did so. To his delight, one of the screens was displaying a map of Hogwarts, a light blinking in one of the rooms to show where the source was located. He studied it carefully. Yes, he knew that room.

He turned to Crabbe and Goyle as they approached, a look of cunning on his face. "While our… "Master" wastes time on his planning we're gonna go and secure this source for ourselves. Once I have that liquid in my hands (3) we shall be free to get back at all those who work against the Dark Lord and ourselves." He grinned evilly at Crabbe and Goyle, who just looked at each other blankly. "But surely if the Master is scared, shouldn't we be scared too?" said Crabbe finally.

Malfoy laughed at their stupidity. "Idiot! He's only scared because he doesn't know his way around this place! We know Hogwarts better than him, now come on!" He turned and led them towards the exits, certain of his up coming victory.

**Appendix**

(1) Feel free to say that in the style of the narrator from Superfriends.

(2) this was going to be explained away by the Master using Dumbledore's powers, and then I remembered that he's Dumbledore, not Odin.

(3) Poor choice of words there, Malfoy.


	15. The Third Party

-Chapter Fourteen-

_The Third Party_

"So what happened? Is he okay?"

"He was hit in the back by a spell, he should be okay. How about you two?"

"Battered and bruised, but I'll live."

"Yeah, me too. When should he wake up?"

"Any minute, he's probably awake now. Open your eyes, Harry."

Harry opened his eyes, wondering how they could have known he was awake. He was in the Hospital Wing, and was delighted to see Ron and Hermione staring down at him."Harry! You're awake!"

Harry grinned at the sight of his friends fully conscious again. "Good to see you're okay! How'd I get here?"

Ron pointed behind him. Harry sat up and looked behind him. Willow grinned back. "I heard you fall and came back for you. It was a very narrow escape!"

"Professor Willow filled us in on what happened. It's hard to believe!" said Hermione.

"There's more." said Harry. He told them what he had discovered about The Master and Dumbledore. Ron and Hermione listened in growing horror.

"This is bad," said Willow, his face grave. "Without Dumbledore everything could be lost… to say nothing about what the Master is up to…" He suddenly stiffened and looked at the door for a moment and then resumed his original position. "So what do we do?" asked Ron.

Harry opened his mouth to make a suggestion but Willow cut him off. "There's nothing we can do." he said, a little louder than before. He got to his feet and began pacing the room. "It's our word against his and who's everyone more likely to believe? A group of students or the great Dumbledore?" As he passed by the door he suddenly sprang for it and flung the door open.

There was no one there, but Harry could hear footsteps echoing down the corridor. "Was someone eavesdropping?" (1)

"Most likely," said Willow, trying to spot whoever it was running away. "The Master will have many eyes and ears in the corridors as Dumbledore." He closed the door and cast a quick "_Muffliato_!" on it (2) before turning back to the others. "Right, now that we can't be overheard, any ideas?" he grinned.

"But _who_ is the Master exactly?" asked Ron. "And what does he want?"

"He's something from beyond this world, I'd say." said Willow, staring into space.

"And he wants that weird substance that was being pumped into the Chamber." said Harry. "What is that stuff? There was some in the Express as well."

Willow shrugged. "Some things are unknown to Wizards as well. But one things for certain: We can't let the Master have it."

"Isn't there anybody who would believe us?" asked Hermione.

Harry thought hard. "There must be someone we can tell, someone Dumbledore wouldn't have as much control over. Wait a minute… The Aurors!"

"That's it!" said Willow excitedly. "They'er under strict orders to move in and secure the place if I give the word." He stopped at the looks on the other's faces. "They were forced upon me by Scrimgeour. He's paranoid about everything and wanted someone here. I had no intention of calling them in."

"So you were here to spy on Dumbledore?" said Harry, angry despite everything he had been through.

"We knew something was up, Scrimgeour's… mole within the Order reported odd things Dumbledore was doing and Scrimgeour decided to investigate."

"There's a mole in the Order?" said Ron in horror.

"This doesn't matter!" said Willow impatiently. "We need to get word to the Aurors in Hogsmede somehow."

"Why don't you go?" asked Harry.

"The Master knows about us. He'll be watching for any move."

"Could send an owl?" asked Harry. "I could write a note and use Hedwig…"

Willow shook his head. "No, the Master will have thought of that. He's probably keeping an eye on the owls. Might even be behind the missing ones!" he said with growing realisation.

"In that case, I'll use my broomstick, should be there in no time."

"That won't work, they'll be watching you too," pointed out Ron. "I'll go, my broomstick's upstairs." (3)

"Watch out for Malfoy," warned Harry. "He'll be out for blood now."

Willow pulled a quill and roll of parchment from out of his pocket and scribbled down a quick note. "Show this to Diggory, he'll understand what to do." he handed the note to Ron, who took it and headed for the door.

Suddenly it was flung open, revealing Argus Filch. "What's going on here?" he asked, eyeing Harry, Ron and Hermione suspiciously. "What are you up to?"

"Erm… visiting Harry." Ron blustered. "He had… an accident…"

"An accident?" asked Filch, glaring at Harry. "Didn't hear anything about an accident."

"That's because it just happened." said Willow, stepping forward. "Harry was taking extra Defence Lessons with me and was injured while trying a shield charm. He'll be fine in a little while."

"Ah, understood. Sorry sir." Filch seemed to have undergone a complete personality change since laying eyes on Willow, becoming more humble and grovelling. "I was merely informed that… that…" he tailed off, staring into space.

"Yes?" prompted Willow.

Filch shook himself out of his trance. "Nothing sir, just thought I heard a disturbance that's all."

"Who told you about what had happened?" asked Willow, staring into Filch's eyes intently. Was he trying occlumency?

"Disturbance sir?" said Filch vacantly. "Just heard a noise, that's all. Will leave you to it." He turned and walked out of the door as if in a trance.

"What was wrong with him?" asked Hermione in concern.

"Don't know…" said Willow in confusion. "His memory is all… _fragmented_. Couldn't make any sense out of it at all."

"Should we follow him?" asked Harry, eagerly starting to get out of bed.

"Yeah, maybe he's in on it!" said Ron eagerly.

"You two need to get to Hogsmeade." interrupted Willow. "Harry and I will follow Filch."

Ron and Hermione were soon on their way to Hogsmeade and Harry and Willow quickly caught up with Filch. He was wondering the corridors, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. "What's wrong with him?" asked Harry.

"Alteration to the memory by the looks of it," whispered Willow. "And whoever's done it doesn't seem to have done a good job. Its like his memory is constantly changing…" As they watched Filch reached a staircase and stopped, staring at it intently as if trying to remember if he had to go up to it. Eventually he seemed to decide that he did as began to ascend them. Harry and Willow hurried after him.

They followed Filch through several corridors. Every branch he came to he'd hesitate before choosing which corridor to head down. Harry noticed that as they went on the hesitations became briefer and briefer before eventually Filch was walking with great confidence.

"He seems to be getting better." muttered Willow. "Where could he be heading to? I don't recognise this area…"

"We're on the third floor, nearly at… nearly at the room where the Philosopher Stone was hidden!" said Harry, his voice rising as he had his little eureka moment. Immediately Filch spun around and Willow pulled Harry back out of sight. "Keep your voice down!" he hissed.

They waited in silence until Filch seemed satisfied and moved away. "Philosopher's Stone? What do yo mean?" asked Willow finally.

Harry quickly filled him in on what had happened in his first year (5). "Ron and Hermione said they tried to investigate the room before, but Filch chased them away!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

Willow grinned. "That's it, it has to be! The Master must have something hidden away there. We've got to-"

But Harry never found out what it was that they had to do because at that moment the sound of screaming around the corner drowned Willow out. As Harry and Willow listened in horror the screams were suddenly cut off by a sound that Harry had unmistakably never heard before.

Before he knew what was happening Willow was running towards the screaming and Harry charged after him, rounding the corner.

Aside from Willow, the corridor was empty.

"What happened?" cried Harry.

"I don't know, didn't see anything," said Willow, examining every inch of the corridor. "Which door leads to the passageway? We might not have much time!"

"It's that one!" shouted Harry, pointing at the correct door. Willow hastened over to it and treed the handle, but it was locked. He quickly pulled out his wand and and pointed it at the lock. A blue light began to shine on the lock accompanied by a loud buzzing sound. He remained in this position for around a minute, occasionally examining his wand before trying again.

Harry was about to ask what he was doing when he suddenly caught sight of two shapes at the far end of the corridor, almost invisible in the dim light. Harry slowly walked towards the shapes until finally he could make out what they were in the poor light. What he saw made him feel sick.

It was Crabbe and Goyle. They were slumped in the dark corner, both clearly dead. Harry stared at the bodies in horror. What could have happened to them? The look of utter horror on their faces showed that whatever had killed them had been too fast for either of them to react. But they were never seen without Malfoy, so where was he? Harry suddenly became aware of Willow standing next to him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered to the bodies, and then led Harry away. "Come on Harry, there's nothing you can do for them."

"But what could have done that to them?" asked Harry, hardly able to believe it.

"Something not of this world." said Willow coldly, heading back to the door and pointing his wand at it again. There was a click as the door unlocked suddenly. Harry and Willow looked at each other in a silent understanding. Whatever was in this room was what killed Crabbe and Goyle. Harry pulled out his wand and nodded to Willow, who slowly inched the door open.

They stepped inside.

Like the Chamber of Secrets, the passageway had changed quite considerably since Harry had last been inside it. There was, thankfully, no three-headed dog out for blood anymore. Instead the walls were covered in all sorts of alien machinery that Harry hadn't seen before - and definitely not the same as the machinery the Master had been using. There were several globes that lined the machinery that seemed to be what operated the machinery. The floor had been replaced by a strange, smooth metal. At the far end of the corridor was a simple, brick wall, looking oddly out of place amongst the alien machinery.

Harry and Willow crept quietly down the corridor, wands at the ready. All they could hear was a strange, rhythmic beat that resembled a heartbeat in the distance.

"There was a trapdoor leading down to the Stone," said Harry. "It was somewhere around here…" he reached the spot where he remembered seeing the trapdoor and knelt down, putting an ear to the ground.. The heartbeat seemed to be coming from below. "Could we get down there somehow?" he asked Willow.

"Here, let me." said Willow. He pointed his wand at the floor as Harry move out of the way. Suddenly the faint outline of the trapdoor appeared in the floor. "That's it!" cried Harry.

"No… that's just where it _used_ be," said Willow, frowning in concentration as he tried to solve the puzzle before him.

Harry knelt back down again for a closer look, his back to the far end of the passageway. Suddenly behind him he heard a whirring sound. "Hey, what's that?"

He was about to turn to see what was happening but his gaze was fixed on Willow, who was looking over Harry in horror. "Harry - don't look behind you. Run. Just run!" he said urgently.

"What?

"RUN!" bellowed Willow. He suddenly raised his wand but before he could do anything else he was struck by a beam of energy and his body was illuminated so brightly that his skeleton briefly became visible, and his scream cut through Harry like a knife. The deadly beam died away and Willow's body crumbled to the ground, dead.

Harry leapt to his feet but before he could do anything the walls on either side of him slid open and before he knew it he was surrounded by four bronze, metallic, pepper pot-like machines.

"Do not move, do not move!" one of them ordered. "You are a prisoner of the Daleks!"

**Appendix**

(1) There is actually a seldom-encountered ghost in Hogwarts. Nobody knows what it is called or what it looks like, as only it's footsteps have been heard hurrying away as people approach seemingly-random locations within the school grounds. There are many theories as to what it could be, such as an invisible ghost who is incredibly nervous and shy, or a more traditional ghost as noted in several muggle books, but nothing has ever been confirmed.

(2) "Wait a minute!" I hear you cry. "That spell is from the Half Blood Prince's potion book! How can the Doc… er, Willow know it?" Well, who's to say that Willow hasn't read the book as well?

(3) By the 2050s Wizards were a lot more social and open with Muggles, resulting in several fusions of the two cultures (4). One such item was used by Muggles disguised as Wizards and was basically a shotgun disguised as a broom stick, called the 'The Boomstick'.

(4) But still no Wizardtronics sadly.

(5) If you need to be told what book to refer to for this reference, you've either clicked on the wrong story or are very confused about what's happening right now.


	16. Prisoners of the (Warning: Plot Point!)

-Chapter Fifteen-

_Prisoners of the *Plot Point! Plot Point!*_

Harry stared up into the harsh blue eye of the Dalek. Unlike the Master, these creatures were utterly inhuman. "You will get up and walk ahead of us," ordered the Dalek that had originally spoken. "Attempt to escape and you will be exterminated." Harry struggled to his feet, not daring to disobey. He had seen what they had done to Willow. Looking determinedly away from Willows body, he began walking towards the far end of the corridor, the four Daleks following behind him. "Halt!" said the Dalek suddenly. Harry stopped instantly. In front of him the wall slid open, revealing Filch. He stared ahead of him, his eyes glazed over. "Remove the body," ordered the Dalek. Filch moved past Harry and the Daleks and began to drag Willow's body away. Harry walked on numbly, barely able to think. What should he do now? With Willow gone he felt completely helpless. If only there was some way he could alert Ron and Hermione…

Harry stepped through the wall into a room. Unlike the Master's base, it felt like he had stepped into a whole new world. The floor was made of the same metal that had been in the corridor, and above him the ceiling sloped upwards into a dome above him. Around the outer wall he could see several consoles covered in different controls and alien symbols, as well as several booths featuring other different machines. There were also several objects dotted around the room that Harry would have thought were art pieces, but as he watched several Daleks would place their plunger-like appendages on the different parts of it and then state several status updates. The heartbeat-like sound Harry had heard earlier was much louder now and seemed to be coming from all around him.

In the centre of the room on a raised dais was a Dalek that was different from the others. First of all, it's casing was a jet black and it had several cables snaking from it's casing and into the ship itself. It looked at Harry for a second and then focussed on the Daleks behind Harry. "Report!" it ordered. Harry noticed that its voice was deeper than the other Daleks.

"Two intruders found at main entrance," said the Dalek that had done all of the talking up until now. "One was captured for information and the other was exterminated."

"The prisoner will surrender the information we need immediately." Said the Black Dalek with a deadly finality.

"Nos!" shouted Harry, finally finding his voice. "Whatever it is you want me to tell you, I won't do it. I won't talk!"

"Speech is unnecessary." said the Black Dalek simply.

Harry was suddenly pushed forwards by the Dalek standing behind him and fell to the ground. the four Daleks that had brought him in took up positions around him, and Harry tried not to flinch as the plungers began to close in around his head… (1)

"Wait!" ordered the Black Dalek suddenly. An image suddenly appeared in the globe on the console nearest to it, showing Filch dragging Willow's body. "Halt. Bring the body here." ordered the Black Dalek, and Harry was surprised to see Filch stop and obey the instruction as if he had been in the room with them. Was the Black Dalek in direct control of everything?

The main doors opened and Filch appeared, carrying Willows body. He brought it towards the Black Dalek. Harry noted that the Black Dalek seemed to be unable to move.

"Facial structure correlates with known images of the Doctor!" Exclaimed the Black Dalek.

Instantly the entire ship came alive with panic. "It is the Doctor!" shrieked several Daleks in alarm, even though Willow was clearly dead.

"The Doctor is known for deception. We shall scan him." ordered the Black Dalek.

"What of the prisoner?" asked the Dalek behind Harry.

The Black Dalek considered. "Power levels are insufficient for both operations at once. The Doctor is of more importance. Remove the prisoner for later use."

Harry walked down a corridor until the Dalek behind him ordered him to stop. A door slid open and Harry was ordered to enter. Inside the room was vey sparse, featuring just a raised area of ground to sit on. Sitting on it was Draco Malfoy.

"Potter." he said by way of greeting.

"Malfoy." (2)

The two of them glared at each other, their hatred for each other still strong despite their joint predicament. "How'd you even get here?" asked Harry finally. Malfoy glared at him but said nothing. "Doing something for the Master?"

Sill nothing.

"Well, we need to get out of here," said Harry, regaining his saving-people-thing (3) now that the Daleks weren't around. He tried to force the door open but it wouldn't move.

"Don't bother." said Malfoy. "Only those things can open them." He started shaking and Harry noticed for the first time that he was paler than usual. "They killed Crabbe and Goyle… nearly killed me as well but changed their minds and took me prisoner… We're as good as dead!" he yelled, sounding hysterical.

"Calm down!" shouted Harry. "We'll need to work together to get out of here." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the door. "_Alohomora__!_"

Nothing happened. Harry tried every spell he could think of to make the door open; "_Bombarda!__ Wingardium Leviosa! Depulso! Per Apertam!", _before finally kicking the door in frustration. To his surprise, it promptly slid open… to reveal a Dalek.

"Stage one test completed. Follow!" it stated. Before moving off down the corridor. Harry and Malfoy instantly complied. Neither felt like making a run for it, they had both seen what the Daleks could do.

The Dalek led them back into the main control room that Harry had been in earlier. There was no sign of Willow's body at all. "Where's Willow?" asked Harry loudly. "What have you done with him?"

"Silence!" boomed the Black Dalek. Harry shut up. "Speak when you are told to speak!" it looked at the Dalek that had brought Harry and Malfoy in. "Begin the information drain."

Harry watched as the Daleks took the same positions that they had done before, his heart pounding in his chest. Beside him Malfoy started shaking again. It was as the Daleks began to close in when Malfoy snapped. He suddenly pulled out his wand and cried "_Stupefy!_". A bolt of magic hit the Dalek nearest to him. It had absolutely no effect on it. Panicking, Malfoy tried to run, but the main door leading out was closed. Terrified, he turned around face the Daleks, who were slowly closing in on him.

"_Stupefy!_" cried Malfoy. "_Impedimenta!_ Reducto! _Incendio!_" he cried, trying spell after spell, but the Daleks just shrugged off each spell. "_Petrificus Totalus! Stupefy! STUPEFY! IMPENDIENTA!"_His voice rose in panic with every spell. The Daleks got ever closer.

"Halt," said the Black Dalek finally. The advancing Daleks stopped, and Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief. "The test is over," continued the Black Dalek. "Daleks are impervious to magic. Exterminate the subject." Malfoy closed his eyes, tears streaming from them.

"Please, please, don't be so hasty!" boomed a voice suddenly. Everybody looked around in surprise, including the Daleks. "Who is that? Show yourself!" screeched the Black Dalek.

"But of course." As everybody watched, the main door slid upwards, revealing the Master.

"How good to see you!" beamed the Master, his voice sounding twice as loud as normal. "Oh, excuse me. _Quietus!_" he said, pointing his wand at his throat. His voice returned to normal. "That's better. Now then… Daleks in Hogwarts! The mere thought of it!" he chuckled at his own joke. "How did you arrive in this world without anybody noticing?"

"We did not." replied the Black Dalek. "We were drawn in and watched as it formed around us."

"Fascinating!" exclaimed the Master. "And you looking, I assume, for this?" With a great flourish he produced a vial of the black liquid and held it up triumphantly.

"How did you know that is what we seek?" demanded the Black Dalek, while the other Daleks moved forward slowly as if for a better look.

"Stay back!" shouted the Master, holding the vial out as if to drop it. "Any closer and I'l drop it. You've researched the effect this has when it comes into contact!"

The Daleks backed off. "How do you know so much about us?" demanded the Black Dalek.

"Because I know the Daleks. This substance is the reason we are both here!"

"Who are you?"

The Master laughed and did a mock bow, while still ready to drop the vial at a moments notice. "I am the Master."

"The Master!" shrieked he Black Dalek. The other Daleks readied their guns at the Master. "You are a Time Lord, you are an enemy of the Daleks! You will be ex-"

"You shoot me," said the Master, smiling mockingly and holding shaking the vial. "And I'll drop the vial. The substance within will cause significant damage to your ship!"

The Daleks paused, and then lowered their guns. "What do you want?" asked the Black Dalek.

"To talk, nothing more. I have an… offer to make."

While all of this was going on Harry was thinking hard. With all eyes on the Master the Daleks seemed to have forgotten about him temporarily. This could be his only chance. If he could sneak away and find a way out, he could alert the Aurors when Ron and Hermione brought them back. Harry started to move backwards slowly, being careful to make no sudden movements and catch either the Master or the Dalek's attention. Getting to the main door would be impossible, but if he could duck into the corridor leading to the cell he and Malfoy had been imprisoned in... On the other side of the room Malfoy was rooted to the spot, staring intently at the Master.

"What offer?" asked the Black Dalek.

"You are looking for the same substance, correct?" said the Master. The Black Dalek didn't reply. "Of course you are. Yet you are unable to leave your ship. Why is that? Afraid of encountering magic, perhaps?"

"Daleks do not fear!" boomed the Black Dalek. "We have determined that we are immune to this world's primitive magic!"

"Of course, of course. I meant no disrespect," said the Master soothingly. "I merely meant that you have located several points of the substance, correct?"

"…Correct." said the Black Dalek finally. Immediately an image appeared in the air of what seemed to be a map of the world, although it didn't look like how Harry remembered it. As he watched, several areas of the map began to glow purple. "We have discovered great quantities in the selected areas." said the Black Dalek. "Its location is too far for a Dalek to traverse, and our ship is unable to fly."

"And there is our problem." said the Master. "I have the means of collecting it unobserved but am unable to find any substantial portions, while you have found a considerable amount but are unable to get to it. I suggest we pool our resources."

Harry was almost at the door now. So far the Daleks had kept their attention entirely on the Master. If he could get just a little bit further… But at that moment he saw one of the Dalek's eyestalk suddenly spin round to look at him. "Prisoner is escaping!"

Harry's heart skipped a beat. He had to run, now! Before any of the Daleks could react. Harry took off own the corridor. Behind him he could hear the Black Dalek shouting. "Pursue and exterminate! The prisoner must not escape!" Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it over his shoulder, yelling "_Stupefy!_" as he ran. He knew it was futile gesture, but it might work.

Harry hared past the cell he and Malfoy had been in. The corridor seemed to be going in a slow curve, so unless he found somewhere to hide soon he'd be back where he started…

Suddenly, Harry spotted something up ahead. An open door! Harry gratefully ducked inside it. He was just in time, for a energy blast hit the wall a split second later. Harry found himself in what appeared to be an elevator, although the controls looked confusing. There was a vertical line of buttons but also several globes that looked like they were designed for interaction with Dalek plungers. Deciding he didn't have enough time to decipher any of the controls, Harry put a hand on one of the globes and pressed a few of the buttons hopefully.

The doors promptly slid shut and Harry felt the lift begin to descend, much to his relief. He let go of the controls and stood facing the doors, wand at the ready. He knew that as soon as the lift door opened he would have to run again but what good would it do? Harry shook his head in disbelief as the enormity of the situation dawned on him. He was stuck on an alien spaceship with no way of getting out! The Daleks would kill him on sight, they probably even had man ambush set up ready for when he tried to run!

Harry fought down the rising panic. He'd killed a basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, worked his way through a trapdoor of traps and snatched the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort (4). He'd completed the tasks of the Triwizard Tournament. He had sneaked into the Ministry of Magic and fought Death Eaters. He'd duelled with the Dark Lord and lived. He could do this.

The lift doors opened.

"Exterminate!"

**Appendix**

(1) 'Death by plunger' is but one hazard that can be encountered in the realms of Wizard DIY, but there are many more. In the Wizarding World there is an oft-told story - thought to be an urban legend by many - that tells the story of one Frederick Freynard, a wizard who once attempted to fix what appeared to be a leaky pipe by himself using magic. The exact details of what happened vary from story to story. The only constant details are that Freynard learned to call for a plumber the next time, a boggart to will always turn into a plunger for any member of the Freynard family, and that the lesson learned from the story is that what happens in the pipes should definitely stay in the pipes.

(2) To some races in the Wizarding World this is actually a standard greeting. In fact it is said that the mythical Mohellian culture consider "Hello" to be very offensive. So saying something like "Good morning it's nice to see you" to one can have unpleasant consequences.

(3) I couldn't think of anything else to write here, but if it makes a good call back, why not?

(4) Funnily enough the chamber that held the Mirror of Erised and the Philosopher's Stone was located in the exact area that Harry is in now, not that that would be of any interest to him.


	17. Interlude: Back to the Rocks

-Interlude-

_Back with the Rocks_

"Confound it! They have lost him again!"

The Man watched the image of Harry being running down the corridor of the Dalek ship in outrage. On various other monitors that had appeared around the cave were images of the Master talking to the Daleks and the Slytherins and Death Eaters working in the Chamber of Secrets. "Our pawns are too focussed on their own agendas!" He ranted. Too restless to sit still, he paced around the cavern.

The cavern had changed since the mysterious pair had arrived and taken over. Floating in the air above the gigantic pool of the black liquid was several large bubbles made from the same stuff. In each one were various different images. One showed a beautiful sunny day in Diagon Alley where everybody was eagerly shopping. In another a lively party was going between wizards, ogres, even what appeared to be a giant. All of the different bubbles showed different part of the Wizarding World, showing several happy events. The man smiled despite his anger. They were going to make such a positive change to the land.

"It's not my fault!" snapped the Woman. "They weren't obey us!"

"Potter will find out!" roared the Man. "And you know he won't understand! He's a glory seeking nut!" He forced himself to stop and calm down. The Woman got up from behind the desk hastily and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Potter won't find out. Even if he outwits everybody none of it can ever be traced to here."

The Man nodded. "And even if he does, we shall simply deal with him ourselves," he said with deadly finality.


	18. In The Deep End

-Chapter Sixteen-

_In The Deep End_

"_Lectorius Sparkus!_" cried Harry

A bolt of electricity sprayed out of his wand and onto the Dalek that had been waiting in ambush outside of the elevator before it could fire. Instantly the Dalek began to glow blue and shake wildly. "Mobility hindered! Reinforcements needed!"

Harry kept his wand trained on the Dalek, allowing the electricity to play across it's casing. The wand shook violently in his hand and Harry knew he couldn't hold on forever. He backed down the corridor away rom the Dalek, looking over his shoulder for any other doors.

Suddenly the wand shot from his grasp and the spell died away. Harry quickly grabbed the wand from where it had fallen and was surprised to feel it tingling from the effects of the spell. How had Willow done it?

The Dalek looked badly burned and didn't seem to be functioning properly. Were they robots? Harry couldn't tell. "Halt… Stay where you are…" said the Dalek, its voice badly slurred. It started to move towards Harry but it was clearly damaged: It's movements were slow and sluggish. "Sorry, can't stay!" shouted Harry, breaking into a run.

Next thing he knew the wall was exploding next to him as the Dalek fired it's gun but missed. Harry was flung aside by the blast, crashed to the ground and struggled to his feet, his body a mass of pain. He turned round to face the Dalek, wand at the ready, only to see that it had become still and inert. It must have used what little power it had to fire that shot. If it had been on full power…

"_Don't think about it._"Thought Harry to himself. "_Just focus on finding a way out of here._" He knew it wouldn't be long until more Daleks arrived. As if on cue he heard behind him "Prisoner located! Exterminate!" Harry didn't look back, he just focused on running.

After what felt like hours, but was in fact only a minute or so (1), Harry finally saw a door further down the corridor. Although nearly exhausted, he put on a burst of speed and was able to leap inside as the Daleks closed in, the door slamming behind him. He had done it!

Harry bent forward o get his breath back. Outside he could hear the sound of the Daleks firing at he door in an attempt to get in, to no avail. "Burn through it." He heard one Dalek say. He didn't have much time! Frantically Harry looked around the room he was in. It was the same size as the elevator, only now there was a second door on the opposite wall. Perhaps that lead further into the ship?

Suddenly there was a sizzling sound. Harry turned back to the door and was horrified see a scorch mark appearing. He had to get out! Quickly Harry turned to the controls. They looked much more simple than the ones in the lift, just four buttons and another globe. Hoping for the best, Harry put his hand on the globe and pressed a button at random.

Instantly the door slid open, and with it came the water of the Great Lake. Before Harry could react he was swept outside by the inrush of water. Harry tried swimming but his lungs were suddenly full of water.

Then everything went black.

"Prisoner expelled." said the Black Dalek simply as it watched the image of Harry drifting away from the ship with the Master and Malfoy. Malfoy shivered. He'd always thought that Potter's death would be a glorious moment, the final obstacle in the Dark Lord's path to victory. Instead he just felt cold inside, and was secretly grateful when the image was shut off.

"Alas, poor Harry" said the Master in jest. "But you've have only defeated one of your foes. The Doctor is here."

"Incorrect." said the Black Dalek.

"Incorrect?" asked the Master, astonished. "What do you mean?"

"The Doctor is not here." said the Dalek by way of explanation. "You will show us your equipment now." As far as it was concerned, the matter was done with.

The Master looked like he wanted to pursue the matter further, but decided against it. "Yes, of course. My passages have already been changed to suit your needs. If you would care to accompany me?"

Malfoy and the Master left the ship, accompanied by three Daleks. Malfoy was impressed at how different the passageways were now. They had been widened enough for the Daleks to move down without completely blocking it, and each staircase had been changed into a ramp allowing access for the Daleks (2). Once the Dark Lord was in charge he would be very interested in these abilities of the Master… Malfoy was sure that Voldemort would enjoy working with the Master.

They arrived back in the Chamber of the Secrets. The Slytherins were gingerly operating machinery that they had no understanding of, while the Death Eaters were working on repairing the broken brethren. One of the Slytherins, Nott, looked up as Malfoy, the Master and the Daleks entered, and Malfoy smirked at the look of terror that appeared on his face. Gradually the other Slytherins became aware of the new arrivals and looked up in alarm.

"Do not be alarmed." said the Master, his voice dripping with persuasion and assurance. "These are merely some new associates of mine." He said, indicating the Daleks. The Daleks completely ignored him, focussing instead on surveying everything in the Chamber in silence. "With their help, victory will soon be in our grasp. For me. For you. For the Dark Lord."

His words had the desired effect. The Slytherins relaxed and started talking amongst themselves excitedly. Even Malfoy felt a wave of warmth and anticipation wash over him. He saw Pansy Parkinson smile at him and grinned back. The Daleks approached the Master. "Survey complete. We will return to our ship for the necessary supplies."

"As you wish." said the Master. The Daleks turned and left.

"Thought you'd have just taken what you wanted from them without asking. Seems more your style!" laughed Malfoy, behaving more like his usual self now that the Daleks had gone.

The Master swung round and Malfoy recoiled as if he had been physically struck, such was the anger burning in the Master's eyes. "That was very much my intention," snarled the Master. "Yet you chose to go blundering in there with those two ogres of yours and got yourself captured!" He pulled out the vial of the black liquid and advanced on Malfoy menacingly. "You forced my hand before this was properly prepared and tested, Draco. Why don't we test it on you?" He made to unstop it.

"No!" cried Malfoy. "Please!" He stumbled backwards and fell over as he lost his balance in his haste to get away.

The Master paused and then grinned unpleasantly, returning the vial to his pocket. "Do not fail me again."

Malfoy got to his feet and looked at the Slytherins. They had all stopped talking and were looking on in horror. "Now then, there is another matter to be dealt with," said the Master. "Mister Potter."

"He's dead!" replied Malfoy, struggling to keep his voice straight after what had just happened.

"The Daleks believe so, but if he's anything like the Doctor, I'm sure he will survive."

"That's true." said Malfoy a little too loudly. He was determined to regain his former standing. "Every year he's -"

"Zabini," cut in the Master, completely ignoring Malfoy. "Take some of the Slytherins down to the lake. Find Harry Potter and bring him here."

Zabini nodded and selected half of the group of Slytherins to accompany him. As they began to leave, Malfoy turned to the Master in outrage. "No one knows Potter like I do! I thought I-" he broke off as the Master turned to him with a look of pure venom on his face. Malfoy sullenly turned away and hurried after the Slytherins. He would deal with Potter personally.

**Appendix**

(1) This could be seen as a fine example of the Time Badger - a strange creature that is allegedly the result of transfiguring a Time Turner into a badger, only for it to escape before it could be turned back. As a result this Time Badger has the ability to release Time as a defines mechanism. Say, for example, someone tries to catch it in a net. The Time Badger would just realise some time into the air that would cause time to pass much more slowly for the hunter, allowing it to escape easily. Not that it is on board the Dalek spaceship, of course.

(2) Yes, I know what you are thinking, Daleks can fly and the Master knows that. Well…. shush! That becomes important later!


	19. Witty Chapter Title

-Chapter Seventeen-

_Witty Chapter Title (1)_

"Harry! Can yeh hear me? Wake up!"

Harry woke up to a great pressure on his chest and a familiar voice. He woke up and found himself looking at the concerned face of Hagrid as he pumped Harry's chest furiously.

"It's - okay - Hagrid - I'm - awake - now!" gasped Harry.

Hagrid stopped and breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. "Bless yeh soul! Found yeh on the shore of the lake. Got yeh in here as fast as I could."

Harry looked around and realised that they were in Hagrid's cabin. He spotted Fang the Boarhound in the corner. As soon as they made eye contact Fang came running over and licked Harry so much Harry wondered if he'd drown again.

"Get off him!" said Hagrid, pushing Fang away from Harry. Hagrid helped Harry up and to get to one of the chairs and then busied himself with the fire. Harry was grateful, he'd only jut realised how wet and cold he was. "What were yeh doin' in the lake anyway, Harry?" asked Hagrid as he made a very warm fire.

Harry sighed. This wouldn't be easy. He warmed up first and then told Hagrid everything that had happened since they had last met. It took quite a while and it was getting dark outside by the time he had finished. Hagrid listened on first with incredulity, then horror.

"Dumbledore - dead?" he asked once Harry had finished.

"Yeah," said Harry, still not quite able to believe it himself. "And the Master has taken his place. He's deadly - perhaps as big a threat as Voldemort!" He got to his feet, ignoring Hagrid's shudder. "I need to get back to the castle and find Ron and Hermione - they should be back soon with the Aurors."

But Hagrid pushed him back into his seat. "Yeh've just nearly downed in the lake - yeh need ter rest first!"

"That's a point, how did I get to the surface?" asked Harry.

Hagrid waved his hand dismissively. "The Squid would have given yeh a lift - he's always doin' things like that." He passed Harry a plate of rock cakes. "Come on, eat up. Yeh need ter keep yeh strength up." Normally Harry would have politely passed - Hagrid's rock cakes had an unfortunate tenacity to live up to their name - but he found that he was actually very hungry and ate gratefully. Once he had finished he got to his feet. "Now I really have to go! I've wasted enough time!" He hurried over to the door and opened it. What he saw made him freeze on the spot.

A group of Slytherins, wands at the ready, were walking towards the lake. However Harry's opening of the door had caught their attention, and as Harry watched they started to head towards Hagrid's Cabin.

Harry quickly shut the door. "What is it?" asked Hagrid.

"The Slytherins are coming here." said Harry, alarmed. "They must be after me."

"Well, they'll have ter go thought me firs'!" yelled Hagrid, jumping to his feet.

All of a sudden there was a knock on the door. Before Harry could stop him, Hagrid pushed past him and opened the door a tiny bit. "Yes?"

"Good evening, er, Professor," said a voice Harry recognised as Blaise Zabini's (odd, would have thought it's be Malfoy). "We want Potter."

"Dunno what yer-" began Hagrid.

"We know he's here," interrupted Zabini. "Hand him over and there won't be any trouble." he sounded like he was completely disinterested in what was happening. Harry crept over to the window and risked a quick peek.

Outside in the dim light he could see around 20 or so Slytherins, all with their wands at the ready. At the back of the group he spotted Malfoy, apparently sulking. Harry pulled his wand out. This wasn't going to end peacefully.

Suddenly an idea occurred to him. Signalling to Hagrid to keep them distracted, Harry sneaked to the back door of the cabin and let himself out.

Outside he slid around the wall and peeked around the corner. The Slytherins were getting restless. "Come on Hagrid, you know it's the sensible thing to do, or aren't you smart enough?" asked Zabini, unable to keep the derision out of his voice.

"Yeh better watch your mouth Zabini," snarled Hagrid. "Harry ain't here, an' I suggest you lot scarper!"

Harry readied his wand. What was it that Willow had said about non-verbal spells? He waved his wand and said "_Expecto Patronum!_" as clearly as he could in his head, while picturing the happy thought of the Slytherins being scared off by his patronus.

To his delight the silver stag erupted from his wand. He had done it! The stag charged towards the Slytherins at a tremendous speed, and several of them screamed and leapt out of the way as it approached. The Stag ploughed through the group, sending some of the slower Slytherins flying.

But Malfoy had spotted Harry. "There! He's there! _Stupefy!_"

Harry flung himself bak behind the shed, dodging Malfoys spell. He ran around to the other side of Hagrid's house and fired a quick "_Impedimenta!_" into the group, throwing the Slytherins even further off balance.

While all of this was happening Hagrid had charged out of his cabin with a roar, eager to protect Harry. The Slytherins tried their hardest to keep away from him while shooting spells in his direction, although Hagrid's giant-blood protected him from most of the spells. Despite having to fight Harry, Hagrid and Harry's Patronus, both sides were evenly matched. A quick "_Incarcerous!_" soon had Hagrid bound in ropes and struggling to get free, while several Slytherins pelted him with spells or tried to push him over with force.

"Hagrid!" cried Harry, rushing towards his friend. One of the Slytherins turned to stop him but Harry took him out with a stunning spell, only to find himself facing Zabini.

"_Stupefy!_" cried Zabini, sending the stunning spell at Harry so quickly that Harry barely had enough time to block it with a clumsy "_Protego!_" that instantly vanished after blocking the spell. Harry tried to follow it up with an "_Expelliarmus!_" but Zabini blocked it, seemingly with ease. Harry was then forced to throw himself to one side to dodge Zabini's "_Reducto!_" which blasted a hole in Hagrid's cabin instead. Before Zabini could follow it up Harry hit him with a "_Langlok!_" and then taking out the silenced Blaise with a "_Incarcerous!"_.

"Oi, Potter!" he suddenly heard Malfoy shout behind him. Harry turned around and was horrified to see him standing over the prone form of Hagrid, wand at the ready. Around them several of the Slytherins were laughing and grinning, most of them looking a lot worse for wear. One or two Slytherins were unconscious on the ground, and there was no sign of Harry's Patronus. Malfoy glared at Harry. "Drop it, or the giant freak gets something more powerful!" He shouted, waving his wand threateningly. Harry noticed that despot his shouting there was a look of discomfort in Malfoy's eyes. Was he having doubts or something? Harry tried to rush his wand up, the word "_Expelliarmus!_" clear in his head. But it was too late. Malfoy pointed his wand at Hagrid again, looking more terrified than triumphant. _"A-Avada_-" he stuttered.

But before he could finish it Malfoy was suddenly cut off by a tremendous explosion from the lake (2). Everyone spun round to watch with horror as a Dalek rose from the lake, floating a meter or two above the surface.

Harry's stomach lurched. They could _fly?_

The Dalek floated towards the group. "Exterminate!" it cried, firing a energy beam at Harry. Fortunately it was still too far away to aim accurately and the beam flew harmlessly over their heads. It still had the same effect though; Malfoy and the Slytherins instantly fled, leaving Blaise and a few more of their unconscious housemates where they had fallen. Harry rushed over to Hagrid. He had to get him free before the Dalek got too close! But even as he ran over he saw the ropes snap as Hagrid pulled himself free. "What is that thing?" he bellowed, his temper still high from the fight.

"Never mind that, we've got to get away from it!" shouted Harry. He made to lead Hagrid up to the school but Hagrid pulled him into his cabin "There's no time! Inside!" He shut the door and bolted it. They stood in silence for several seconds, listening.

Suddenly part of the roof exploded inwards, then another, then another. The Dalek was blasting at the roof in an attempt to scare them. Some of the debris anded on Fang, and with a cry Hagrid rushed over to help him. Part of the roof exploded before Harry could join him, and harry watched with horror as the Dalek descended into the cabin, its gun stalk pointing directly at Harry.

"You have been designated an enemy of the Daleks!" it proclaimed. "Extermin-"

But before it could finish Hagrid suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the Dalek's base in his huge hands. "Leave him alone!" he bellowed. Quick as flash the Dalek's midsection suddenly spun round o that that the gun stick was pouting at Hagrid and fired.

Hagrid cried out as the deadly beam flung him backwards across the room.

"HAGRID!" cried Harry in despair. The Dalek's gun stalk swung back round to face Harry, who prepared to throw himself aside at the last moment.

But with a sudden roar Hagrid suddenly flung himself towards the Dalek and barrelled into it, bringing it crashing to the ground.

"Under attack!" shrieked the Dalek, alarmed at how Hagrid was still fighting. "Desist! Desist!".

But Hagrid didn't stop. Using his strength he was able to pull the gun stalk free from the Dalek and crush its eyestalk with his bare hands. "My vision is impaired! I cannot see!" cried the Dalek. Hagrid picked up the Dalek with a roar of anger and slammed it into the ground, pushing downwards so that the entire thing was crushed like a man stepping on a can.

Once he was sue that it was dead Hagrid's strength seemed to leave him. He staggered over to an armchair and collapsed into it, breathing heavily. Harry ran over to him in alarm. "Hagrid!"

"Harry… yeh've gotta go… after Malfoy before he gets away…" said Hagrid.

"But I can't leave you!" said Harry urgently. "You need to see Madam Pomfrey!"

Hagrid shook his head slowly. "I'll be fine…. take more than that thing to stop me!" He said, starting to sound more like his old self. Harry hesitated, but knew that there was no time to argue. "I'll be back soon." he promised, before rushing out of the cabin.

Harry was halfway between Hagrid's cabin and Hogwarts when he suddenly heard the sound of Fang's howling coming the cabin behind him, but he forced himself not to think about it. He had to stop Malfoy. Harry hared up to the entrance and through the main doors, wand at the ready. How much of a head start did they have?

"_Petrificus Totalus!_"

Harry had barely stepped into the main doors before the spell hit him. Instantly his body snapped together and he fell backwards to the floor. "Like that Potter?" he heard Malfoy cry out mockingly. "There's worse to come!" this was followed by the laughter of the other Slytherins. Harry cursed himself inwardly. He'd blundered right into their clumsy ambush!

Malfoy walked up to him, grinning now that Harry was finally at his mercy. "You've caused a lot of trouble for me and my family Potter." He pointed his wand at Harry, then turned to the other Slytherins. "What should we do first? The Cruciatus Curse? How about the Imperious Curse?" he asked them, letting them cheer in between each suggestion. Harry struggled against the body bind spell but it was no use. Malfoy looked back at him, enjoying himself immensely. "It's no good Potter. There's no help coming!"

But for a second time the words were barely out of his mouth before he was proven wrong. Suddenly the Entrance Hall rang out with the cry of "_Experillarmus!_" and Malfoy's wand flew out of his hand. Alarmed, he spun round to face the staircase. Standing at the top was an aurora who Harry recognised as John Dawlish. "Remain where you are!" he called out in an authoritative voice. "You will all place yourselves at our mercy!"

For a split second it looked as if the Slytherins were going to obey his commands, and then complete and utter pandemonium broke out as they tried to escape. Dawlish appeared to have expected this however, and from every door several Aurors appeared and the Hall soon rang out with the sounds of "_Incarcerous!_" Most of the Slytherins were caught in the binding ropes but a handful, including Malfoy, managed to escape in the confusion. Dawlish walked over to Harry and waved his wand. Instantly the Body Bind vanished and Harry leapt to his feet. "Thanks, where are Ron and Hermione?"

Dawlish didn't reply, but before Harry could say anything else he heard a cry and was delighted to see Ron and Hermione rushing over to him. "Harry! I'm so glad to see you again!" cried Hermione, flinging her arms around Harry. "We got to Hogsmeade but couldn't find Mr. Diggory but told Mr. Dawlish and thankfully he believed us! We arrived back here around half an hour ago but there was no sign of you anywhere and Mr. Dawlish decided to search the whole school and -"

"Give him air!" laughed Ron, pulling her off Harry gently. "Glad you're alright mate. Where's Willow?" he asked.

Harry's grin faded. "Willow's dead."

Hermione gasped and Dawlish started. "Dead? What happened to him?" he demanded. "Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley told me what has been happening and I find it very hard to believe!" He said, looking around the room at the prone Slytherins and shaking his head in disbelief. Harry opened his mouth to explain but Dawlish flung up his hand to stop him. "Wait. Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, assemble the Heads of Houses. They will want to hear Potter's story too." He turned back to Harry as Ron dashed off. "I imagine you have quite the story to tell, Potter."

Harry thought back over what he'd just been through. "Yes, I definitely do."

**Appendix**

(1) "_Well, all the jokes can't be good. You've got to expect that once in a while."_ - Groucho Marx.

(2) Water bombs used to be a popular method of keeping intruders out for any Wizard who lived on beside a river, lake or the sea, but in the end it proved to impractical after fish kept blundering into them. Due to how far some of the fish were thrown by the blasts it sometimes led to the misconception fish raining down from the sky.


	20. The War I Survived

-Chapter Eighteen-

_The War I Survived_

"…And then the Aurors arrived and chased them off."

Harry stopped, his throat dry from the long story he'd just told. Everyone else in Professor McGonagall's study stared back at him. Some, like Ron and Hermione, were staring with looks of horror on their faces while others, such as Snape, had a look of contempt, disbelief and outright hatred on their faces (1).

"What you are saying sounds highly unlikely…" said McGonagall.

"It would explain why Dumbledore has been so secretive of late." squeaked Professor Flitwick, although he didn't look to happy at the thought.

At that moment the door opened and Dawlish walked in, his face grave. "The Aurors have returned from Hagrid's Cabin. There was definitely a fight there. They also found the remains of something that definitely does not originate from either our world or the Muggle world." He shook his head in disbelief at his own words. "It looks like Potter was telling the truth."

Everyone in the room looked visibly nervous. This was something that had not been encountered before. "And Hagrid?" asked Harry, bracing himself.

Dawlish didn't quite meet his gaze. "I'm sorry."

Harry felt a great sadness in him for the loss of one of his oldest friends. Across the table Hermione burst into tears and Ron quickly comforted her.

"So what do we do now?" asked Harry, forcing himself to stay focussed on the job at hand.

For a few seconds Dawlish seemed at a loss for words, his hands fidgeting endlessly. "Well first we need you to show us these locations." he said finally. "Then as soon as Mr. Diggory arrives we can -"

But he was interrupted by Snape suddenly leaping to his feet. "This is all ridiculous! The story that Potter has told is so far fetched it couldn't possible be real. The idea of Hogwarts being infiltrated in such a way is completely ridiculous! All of this is just another pathetic cry for attention that Potter is so fond of!

McGongall shot to her feet, her face white with rage. "Now see here Severus! I will not -"

But the argument was quickly halted when the door was flung open and Amos Diggory marched in. If Harry had been expecting support he was to be disappointed. Diggory was beside himself with anger. "What is the meaning of this?" he roared. 'I return from giving my report and find that all of the Aurors have been moved in on Hogwarts without my permission!"

"Sir, please, it's an emergency…" said Dawlish, faltering before Diggory's anger.

"Emergency?" snapped Diggory. "What are you talking about Dawlish? What kind of emergency?"

In reply Dawlish looked at Harry. Harry cleared his throat and prepared to launch into his story again but was stopped as Snape swept by. "I am not hearing any more of this rubbish." He marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Diggory turned back to Harry, still looking annoyed but calmer. "Well?"

Harry took a deep breath and launched into the story again. As he told it the look on Diggorys face changed from annoyed disbelief to worried.

"If this is true…" he said once Harry had finished. "Then this could be bigger that anyone could have imagined." For a few seconds he stared into space, then shook himself out of his trance and turned to Dawlish. "Dawlish, get everybody searching the Castle. Leave no stone unturned. Start at once!" Dawlish snapped to attention and then left the room. Diggory turned to McGongall, Flitwick and Sprout. "Get all of the students back to their common rooms. Use any spells you deem necessary to make sure they are secure and allow nobody to leave. See that Professor Snape does the same." The three Heads of Houses nodded in assent, still taking everything in. "What about us?" aced Harry, eager to work alongside the Aurors.

Diggory turned to him. Harry was surprised to see that he looked even angrier than before. "Your eagerness to interfere where you shouldn't has helped for once. But look at what has happened! All of the deaths! Just like -" he broke off and Harry saw him wipe a tear away. Harry knew what this meant…. Cedric's death still affected him deeply. "You will return to you Common room." Diggory said finally.

"But I want to help!" shouted Harry, leaping to his feet as his anger getting the better of him. They couldn't sideline him now, not after everything he had been through!

But Hermione put a hand on his arm. "Harry… I think he's right," she flinched back as Harry swung round to glare at her but carried on. "You've done so much over the last couple of days, you need to rest!"

"She's right mate, your too on edge to think properly," added Ron.

Harry thought about arguing but decided that were right. Despite his eagerness his body felt like a lead weight. All he wanted to do was go to bed. He nodded in agreement.

"Excellent," said Diggory. "I'll arrange an escort back to your Common Room. And Harry?"

"Yes?"

Diggory smiled thinly at him, although the smile didn't seem to quite reach his eyes. "Good work."

Harry, Ron and Hermione were escorted back to the Gryffindor Common Room by an Auror. Once safely back inside they were greeted by several Gryffindors, all asking questions about what was happening. The three of them shrugged them off and disappeared up to their rooms.

Harry had expected that the three of them would have talked all through the night about what had happened but he could only manage a tired "'night" to Ron before climbing into bed.

Once alone, he went over everything that had happened. _The Master… The Daleks… Dumbledore, Hagrid and Willow were all dead…_

Tears began to flow from Harry's eyes and he stifled a sob. They were dead! As the fact sank in Harry huddled up under his bed clothes, his body wracked with silent sobbing and he wished that come the morning everything would be back to normal.

"_Crucio!_"

Malfoy cried out as the curse hit him for what felt like the hundredth time. He writhed about on the floor in spasms of pain. Up above on the balcony the Master allowed every bit of frustration and anger to flow from his body and into the deadly curse. "You have no one but yourself to blame, Draco." he hissed. "Your continued failures have made me force my hand too early and jeopardise my plans in ways your pathetic mind could not even fathom." Finally he allowed the curse to die away and Malfoy lay still, panting heavily in pagony. "You could never do it, Draco," sneered the Master, raising his wand for a final, deadlier curse. "You lack the _heart _to go through it all_._"

A movement caught the Master's attention, and he looked up in time to see several Death Eaters and Slytherins walk in. "Well?" he snapped. "What is happening?"

"They are moving against us." said a Slytherin called Garlow Sanger. "The Aurors are at Hogwarts and are preparing to search the entire building."

The Master cursed and immediately began to pull the Death Eater's cloak around himself once more. "Then I shall have to move things to the final phase." He crossed to a nearby console and operated several switches. At once the Death Eaters began to move to various different doors, barring one or two who remained. Fixing the Death Eater mask into place over his face, the Master turned back to Malfoy. "I have no time to waste on you, Draco." he pulled out his wand and pointed it at Malfoys. "_Avada Keva-"_

"_Expelliarmus!_" cried another voice suddenly, and the Master found his wand flying worm his grip immediately. Surprised, he turned to look at the Death Eater who had cast the spell. "What…?"

The Death Eater threw back his hood and pulled off his mask, revealing his features for all to see.

"_Stupefy!_" bellowed Snape.

So shocked was The Master that he barely threw himself aside in time, landing heavily on the platform. He began to crawl towards his wand desperately. "Severus, please, you don't understand…" he shouted, a desperate plan forming almost immediately.

"Whatever it is you are up to, it ends now." said Snape simply. He darted over to Malfoy and shook his shoulder, neither his gaze or wand wavering from the Master for a second. "On your feet, Draco." he snapped. With great difficulty, Malfoy began to get up.

"Come now Severus…" said the Master, his voice sounding very different now. He reached for his mask. "Have you ever had cause to doubt I, Dumbledore, before?" he said, removing the mask and revealing the benevolent face of Dumbledore beneath (2).

For a few moments Snape's eyes widened in surprise, but then his glare hardened. "Dumbledore would never treat his students like this," he sneered. "You are nothing more than a pathetic impersonator."

But the Master had merely been playing for time. With a sudden flourish his wand was in Dumbledore's hand and a deadly spell was hurtling towards Snape, who blocked it. "Run, Draco." he shouted. Malfoy needed no second bidding, taking off into the tunnel that lead back to the entrance. Snape sent a flurry of spells back at the Master, who dosdged behind a pillar to avoid them. Snape took the opportunity to duck behind a early computer bank. "The rest of you too! Go!" he shouted to the group of Slytherins.

Up above a particularly special kind of console beeped and the Master chuckled. All was in readiness. He reached for a particular button but another spell from Snape nearly hit him and he ducked behind a pillar.

Down below most of the Slytherins had taken their cue from Malfoy and had fled into the tunnels, but a small handful refused to move. "Hurry, get out of here!" snapped Snape, leaving his cover and running towards them. But it was a bad move. Seizing the opportunity, Dumbledore leapt from hiding and fired a spell so big that Snape was lifted off his feet and flung into the tunnel, sliding back on his back before stopping.

Almost instantly he struggled to his feet but it was too late. Laughing in triumph, Dumbledore fired a quick "_Explosivo!" _at the roof of the tunnel, and Snape had to leap backwards to avoid the rubble as the tunnel caved in. His last glimpse of the Chamber was one he would never forget: The sight of Dumbledore's face sneering in triumph.

Dumbledore's laughter rang around the Chamber as the tunnel collapsed and he returned to the Master's form. Finally he calmed down and looked down at the remaining few Slytherins almost mockingly. "Ahh my faithful few," he smiled, still jubilant from his victory in the fight. "Still loyal I see?" The Slytherins, only ten or so in number now, looked at each other uncertainly and then nodded. "We are with you to the end, Master." said Sanger, his eyes shining with eagerness.

"Excellent!" beamed the Master. "But… what a pity that you are no longer needed!"

Laughing again, he pressed the button on the console he had been reaching for before.

Almost instantly each door on the walls of the Chamber was flung open, revealing a Dalek in each one. "Exterminate!" cried each Slytherins screamed and attempted to run but the Daleks opened fire. In seconds all that remained of the Slytherins was nothing more than their blackened bodies lying on the floor.

"Excellent!" cried the Master, bowing mockingly to the Daleks. "I trust all is in readiness?"

"Affirmative," said one of the Daleks. It turned to the nearest bit of machinery installed within the Chamber. "Connection and recalibration will begin at once." It extended the plunger-like appendage until it was attached to the console. Instantly the console burst into life, lights flashing as it operated. All around the room the other Daleks repeated the manoeuvre and soon every console was operating.

"I will leave you to it, gentlemen." said the Master, turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" demanded the Dalek.

"Upstairs," called The Master, stepping into the lift concealed with the statue of Salazar Slytherin. "I have a few more… loose ends to tie up."

**Appendix**

(1) Okay, only Snape was doing that last one.

(2) While only a throwaway line by the Master here, it was later discovered that some of Dumbledore's plans for stopping Lord Voldemort were known to be very dark indeed. The rumours were quickly squashed by the Ministry, but it was rumoured that certain artefacts had gone missing...


	21. Infestation

-Chapter Nineteen-

_Infestation_

The final day of Hogwarts began as a pleasant summers day, with every student waking up gracefully to the sound of birdsong (1). So peaceful was the day that when Harry woke up couldn't think why this day was so important. It all came rushing back to him in secedes, however, and he frantically sprang from his bed and started to get dressed. There was movement from Ron's bed and then he emerged from behind the curtains. "Wazzup?" he said sleepily.

"Come on, get up!" said Harry frantically. "We need to see the Aurors and find out what happened!"

"Right!" cried Ron, awake in an instant and struggling into his robes. Their actions woke up Neville, Seamus and Dean, who looked on in bemusement at their apparent eagerness for breakfast.

Suddenly the voice of McGonagall boomed around the room. "Attention, attention! All students will remain in their common rooms until collected by an Auror! Walking within the corridors unaccompanied is strictly forbidden!"

"Blimey," said Ron after a few moments of silence. "Wonder what's happened?"

The Gryffindors were escorted to the Great Hall shortly afterwards by several Aurors. Harry, Ron and Hermione tried asking them what had happened during the night but received no answer.

The Great Hall was buzzing with what could possibly warrant the presence of the Aurors and what could have happened. Harry overheard several theories, such as Death Eaters and Voldemort hiding in the dungeons, which wasn't too far off, or that the House Elves were revolting, which was just ridiculous (2).

Several things immediately caught Harry's eye as he sat at the Gryffindor Table. Firstly several Aurors were positioned against each wall, all looking nervous as if expecting something to happen. Secondly Malfoy was sitting alone at the Slytherin table, the rest of the slytherins giving him a wide berth. Malfoy looked a lot paler than usual and had a haunted look in his eyes, staring at his breakfast without really taking it in. What had happened to him?

Thirdly and most tellingly, Dumbledore's seat was empty. This was one of the main talking points amongst the students, discussing where he could be. The other teachers were silent, focussing entirely on their breakfasts and not looking at anything else. Snape in particular looked a lot worse for wear and his eyes never left the Slytherin table. Harry's eyes wandered over to Hagrid and Willows empty chairs and his heart sank. No one seemed to have noticed that they were missing…

"So what d'you think's going on?" asked Ron, bringing Harry back out of his depression.

"The Aurors are probably still searching for the Master," said Hermione. "Given the size of Hogwarts it's probably taken them all night."

"Can't take _that_ long, surely?" scoffed Ron.

"Of course it can!" snapped Hermione. "If you ever get round to reading _Hogwarts - A History_ then you'll find out how big this place actually is, not to mention how much it can change!"

"They won't find him," said Harry grimly. "The Master's too smart for them. He could be anywh-" Harry broke off in surprise as the door leading to the small room located near the Staff Table opened and Dumbledore emerged.

The entire Hall went silent in an instant, everybody was staring at Dumbledore, some in surprise and others in relief. Harry could feel sweat on his brow. What was happening? He had a quick look around. Malfoy had shrunk back in his seat, shaking slightly, his eyes fixated on Dumbledore. The Aurors looked extremely on edge, yet unsure what to do, which was understandable. Even after being told that Dumbledore is now a threat it was still hard to see the kindly old man in front of them who had fought Lord Voldemort himself as a danger. Harry couldn't help but feel that it was like a powder keg waiting to go off. Where was Diggory? He could see Dawlish fidgeting nervously at the far corner but no sign of Diggory.

"Good morning," said Dumbledore solemnly. "As you are all undoubtedly aware, there have been some major disturbances over the last day or two."

_That's putting it mildly,_ thought Harry. What was the Master up to? Was he covering things up, trying to diver attention away from himself? Were the Aurors going to arrest him?

"There is a man hidden within the school," continued Dumbledore "He is a dangerous man who has dangerous powers - including impersonating myself. I have personally confronted and defeated him. Although he escaped me I give you my word that _no one_ will invade this school as long as I am Headmaster."

So smooth and persuasive was his voice that Harry almost believed him. And he wasn't the only one. All around him the students began to relax, while some of the Aurors looked relieved and started to put their wands away. If Harry still didn't have the strong image of the Master in Dumbledores office and behind Dumbledore's desk then he would have been totally convinced that it was simply a case of mistaken identity. Harry shook his head, trying to keep his thoughts straight.

"These are difficult times," said Dumbledore. "And it is important to remember hat Lord Voldemort is not the only threat (3). "We must all-"

But whatever else Dumbledore was going to say was cut off as part of the far wall suddenly exploded inwards. As everyone cried out more explosions rang around the room, sending everyone ducking for cover. Harry heard several students scream hysterically and looked up in alarm.

The wall at the far end of the room had been blown open in several places.

In each new opening was a Dalek.

"What is the meaning of this?" cried out Dumbledore as the Daleks glided into the Great Hall.

"Silence!" ordered one of the Daleks loudly. "Recalibration of computers is complete, power source has been located! You are no longer useful to us. You will be exterminated with the humans!"

"Exterminate all humans! Exterminate all humans!" chorused the rest of the Daleks.

While all of this was happening one of the Aurors had managed to get behind one of the Daleks unnoticed. Raising his wand he cried out "_Impedimenta!_".

The spell had no effect on the Dalek and only served to alert it to his presence. Spinning round at the midsection it shot the Auror on the spot. The Auror cried out as he was flung backwards by the deadly ray.

Then all hell broke loose. Half of the students panicked and immediately made a run for it, flooding out of the Great Hall. The Daleks glided forwards, firing on their retreating backs mercilessly. Several students were killed instantly. Some of the Aurors fired spell after spell at the advancing Daleks to no avail and were promptly shot down, while several others lost their nerve and ran out with the students.

Several of the students, including Harry, Ron and Hermione had ducked under the tables in a vain attempt to protect themselves. "Lie still, lie still!" hissed Harry. Ron and Hermione followed his instructions, lying down pretending to be bodies of recently exterminated students. In front of them they saw another student twist and fall dead to the floor as he was hit. Harry winced as he heard Hermione nearly cry out. It was Justin Finch-Fletchley.

The teachers sprang into action. In one deft movement McGonagall leapt to her feet and waved her wand. Instantly the four house tables suddenly reared upwards and shot through the air towards the Daleks, who opened fire. Although damaged the tables kept coming and smashed into the Daleks, sending them backwards. "Get the students out of here!" shouted McGonagall. Instantly the Aurors who had remained to fight began grabbing students close to them and pushing them towards the door. "Out! Everybody out!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione needed no further prompting. They ran for the doors, beams of energy zapping past them. Behind them they heard screams as several people were hit but didn't look back. They charged through the door and ran for their lives.

Hoping to take advantage of the distraction caused by the tables, the Master looked around and saw the teachers heading for the small chamber he himself had emerged from and headed after them. He was the last in and shut the door, locking it behind him. "Well done, Minerva." he gasped, his mind a whirl at the recent developments.

He suddenly realised that everybody was staring at him. "Who are you?" hissed McGonagall, her eyes wide in surprise. She pointed her wand threateningly at him and the Master suddenly realised that in the stress of the moment he had reverted back to his original form. "The Master, I presume?"

"Where's Dumbledore?" squeaked Flitwick.

"My friends, my friends." said the Master soothingly, playing for time. "I am sorry for my small deception. Minerva, well done on your prompt reaction against the Daleks. Thankyou."

"What do you mean?" asked McGonagall suspiciously.

"For being such a useful distraction!" sneered the Master triumphantly. Instantly a short tube was in his hand. Before anybody could stop him the Master twisted both ends in different directions.

Instantly McGonagall screamed as her whole body shuddered. Before the teacher's horrified gaze, McGonagall began to change.

Her waist twisted 180 degrees and she fell forwards, stooping herself with her hands. The fingers stretched into claws and her legs extended and stretched upwards. Her face bulged and her teeth grew and sharpened. From her back the strange black substance that the Master had been collecting began to erupt, spreading over her body as tentacles of the same substance appeared on as well.

With a high pitched roar the creature McGonagall had become vaulted forwards onto Professor Burbage, who screamed as she was flung on to the ground. Reacting quickly Professor Sprout leapt forward, raising her wand. But before she could cast a spell one of the tentacles wrapped around her wrist. Instantly the black liquid spread across Sprout's body and before the eyes of the horrified teachers she was soon nothing more a puddle which was quickly absorbed into the McGonagall creature.

_At least Draco didn't mess up on that little mission,_ thought the Master. "Attack!" he shouted commandingly, pointing at the rest of the teachers. "Kill them all!" The McGonagall creature snarled and leapt towards the Teachers.

It was the quick thinking of Snape and Flitwick that saved them (4). Flitwick successfully knocked the creature out of the air with a blast, while a quick "_Explosivo_!" from Snape blasted the one of the walls down, leading to the corridor. The Teachers needed no second bidding and fled. The McGonagall Creature leapt into the corridor and headed after them.

Now alone, the Master was able to think clearly. How could he have not realised that the Daleks were going to betray him? It was so _obvious_! For the briefest of scones the Master was full of self doubt. He was supposed to know everything, yet he had forgotten this blindingly obvious fact! But it was soon gone and replaced by frantic thinking as the Master quickly altered his plans. Activating a small watch-sized computer on his wrist he accessed the machinery in the chamber. Too risky to go back there, he'd be exterminated on sight…. Working quickly, the Master used the watch to hack into the Dalek's computer. If he could not go back he would use a simple remote link.

The watch bleeped and the Master's eyes widened at the results. This was it! Power was at his fingertips! All he had to do was to get there first. He pressed a few more buttons on the watch and grinned. Fortunately he had set up several distractions to help grant him safe passage to his destination…

**Appendix**

(1) As opposed to the first ever day of Hogwarts, where it rained.

(2) Although improbable there was in fact a brief House Elf revolt in the past, started by a freed Elf who wanted to have equal rights established. It quickly floundered when the Elves realised that thy didn't know what they actually wanted and were in fact perfectly happy with their current lot, thankyou.

(3) One such undocumented incident during the First Wizarding War involved a strange group of Wizards proclaiming themselves to be the First Frontier of Sorcerers, lead by the dangerous Draxneterer. Their reign of havoc lasted for an entire week and included such despicable acts as hiding the keys of old Mrs. Muggins so that she couldn't get into her house after returning from her trip to the shops and buying a lot of Butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks and not giving the correct change. They were also known to attack people, such as the elderly Mr. Greenwald (who soundly trounced them). Eventually the Ministry got round to the problem after dealing with some minor matters such as Voldemort and a squad of Aurors were sent in. After a spectacular yet very short battle (said to be the shortest battle ever fought in a war) it was discovered that the entire gang were in fact brainwashed muggles, and the only wizard, Draxneterer, was in fact a former pupil from Hogwarts who had been expelled for using memory charms on people to trick them into thinking had done better than he really did, and had in fact been doing the same thing on the local residents to make them think his gang was carrying out these nefarious deeds. In a controversial-yet-funny-in-an-ironic-kind-of-way decision, the Aurors used altered Draxneterer's memory so that he thought he had always been a model citizen, thus leaving him as just that.

(4) Although Septima Vector would later claim to have contributed heavily into their escape as well. Well, she would have done anyway...


	22. The Hungry Corridors

-Chapter Twenty-

_The Hungry Corridors_

Chaos reigned throughout Hogwarts.

Aided by the Aurors, the students fled through the corridors in a desperate bid for safety. Behind them came the Daleks, exterminating anybody they came across and leaving nothing but death and destruction in their wake.

It was initially hoped that the students could be safely escorted to their common rooms, but getting to them turned out to be harder than imagined. All over the school walls were being blasted open and more Daleks emerged to assist with the mass extermination and soon they filled the corridors. Several Aurors tried to fight them but their spells proved ineffective and they were quickly exterminated. The Daleks were utterly relentless.

There were a few successes, however. One Dalek was surprised to suddenly be attacked by a suit of armour which proved extremely resilient to its weaponry and several Daleks found themselves fighting the Ghosts of Hogwarts. True, neither side could really hurt the other, but the Ghosts fly straight through the Dalek casings, which was an extremely unpleasant feeling (1) and lead the Dalek to focus on them for a few minutes. Peeves the Poltergeist gleefully sent items crashing onto the Daleks, mildly damaging several of them but distracting them at crucial moments.

The Aurors too, once recovered from the shock and realising how ineffective their spells were, resorted to some of the harder-hitting ones. Cries of "_Explosivo!_", "_Diffindo!_" "_Glacia!_", and other assorted spells were used and the school soon rang with the sound of battle.

While all of these efforts proved to be only minor in the end, it did enable most of the students to escape to their common rooms.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and a few other Gryffindors found themselves heading down a corridor as quietly as they could. Having left the Hall later than the others they soon found themselves on their own. In the distance they could hear the sounds of spells being cast, the firing of Dalek weaponry, and the screams of the dying.

"What do we do?" asked Ginny Weasley, looking absolutely terrified.

"We're going to die!" sobbed a fourth year girl who's name Harry couldn't really remember, Romilda something or other (2).

"We need to remain calm!" said Harry as loudly as he dared. "Losing our heads won't help!" He looked around at everybody else: Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Dean Thomas, Colin Creevy, a fourth-year Gryffindor called Ritchie Coote, and the Romilda girl. All of them looked to him for guidance.

"We need to get back to the Common room." said Harry decisively. "The Daleks won't be able to enter there." He pulled out the Marauder's Map and quickly swore that he was up to no good. The group gathered round the map as it appeared.

Even on the map things looked grim. Dozens of dots labelled 'Dalek' were moving about the corridors and they all tried to ignore the dots that abruptly dried onto the parchment, never to move again. There was something of interest though.

"It's all changed…" said Hermione in confusion. It was true - all of the secret passages had been changed. No, not changed, thought Harry, _connected_.

"That's how the Master and the Daleks got around the school so easily," he said. "They've used the Room of Requirement to alter the passages."

"Can they do that?" asked Ron in surprise.

"That room has always been a mystery," said Hermione. "Even _Hogwarts - A History_ doesn't seem to know that much about it."

They suddenly heard "Exterminate!" followed by the sound of someone screaming as they were shot down from just around the corner. There was no time to talk. Luckily there was an entrance nearby. Moving quickly, Harry led the others to where the entrance should be, but where was the entrance?

"Here!" said Ron, patting a statue on the shoulder. The statue promptly nodded in confirmation and stepped to one side, revealing a tunnel. "Fred and George told me about that one," said Ron, grinning as Hermione kissed him on the cheek in relief. "Thank heavens for your memory!" she said.

"No time, everybody in there!" hissed Harry. Everybody quickly piled in.

When the Dalek rounded the corner a few seconds later, the corridor was empty. It proceeded down the corridor, only to stop next to the statue as it detected life-signs nearby. It looked around in all directions carefully, trying to determine where the humans were. But no matter what it did it could not spot them, and the magical properties of this castle were being disruptive for Dalek technology… Dismissing the problem as mere interference, the Dalek moved on.

Harry had his ear to the wall, his heart beating loudly. He was sure the Dalek outside would hear it. Had it seen the passage close up after they had entered? He looked at the map and was relieved to see the dot labelled 'Dalek' moving away from the entrance to the passage.

Harry turned back to others. The light was very dim but a quick "_Lumos!_" brightened things up a bit. They were in a short, surprisingly well furnished tunnel. Further down they could see further corridors branching off to unknown destinations. Harry rechecked the Map. "If we go down…. here," he announced, pointing at one of the tunnels. "It should take us to a point very close to the Common Room."

"What about the tunnel to Hogsmeade?" suggested Ron. "We could get everybody out that way."

Harry studied the Map but all of the tunnels connected in a very confusing way, and he couldn't see the Hogsmeade Tunnel. "Too risky from here. Let's get to the common room and go from there. Besides, it's probably under guard." He put the map away. "Let's go."

They began to set off, Harry bringing up the rear. Up head he saw Dean take Ginny's hand and suddenly felt a pang of annoyance. Doing his best to ignore it he studied the map intently.

Everybody seemed to be holding up well. Richie Coote was humming an old Qudditch song in order to keep calm and Romilda Thingy kept looking back at Harry and smiling at him. Colin Creevy initially kept up an endless stream of chatter; "I knew you'd save us Harry, it's what the papers have been saying isn't it? You know, about you being the Chosen One. Is this what everything was building up to d'you reckon? I always thought it would have had something to do with You-Know-Who…" Eventually a scream rang out that sounded uncomfortably like it was coming just outside the tunnel they were travelling down and Colin thankfully shut up.

Ron and Hermione led the group onwards, stopping at every junction for directions from Harry. It was an incredibly nerve-wracking journey. Occasionally they heard the sounds of fighting or people dying outside and Harry would signal everybody to be quiet. Hermione in particular took it badly and with each encounter she would start shaking and Ron would have to calm her down. Plus there was always the danger that a Dalek would re-enter the tunnel for whatever reason...

Eventually they had to stop to rest. Everyone sat down. Colin Creevy drew his legs up and rocked back and forth, looking terrified, while Ritchie Coote leaned back and tried to relax, still humming the Qudditch song. Ron and Hermione sat together in silence. Harry noticed they were holding hands for comfort. Romilda smiled up at Harry for what felt like the millionth time and Harry smiled tightly back. "Thanks for getting us here!" she said suddenly.

"Save the thanks for when we're back in the Common Room" replied Harry, looking away from her and at Ginny and Dean. The two of them were holding onto each other tightly for comfort. A wave of jealously swept over Harry suddenly and he hurriedly looked at the Map and tried to dismiss the feelings.

They had made good progress. Soon would come the tricky bit… they would have to leave the tunnels and get to the entrance through the Gryffindor Common Room in the open. "Not far now," he said encouragingly.

At that exact moment, the Master flicked the switch on his watch.

In the Room of Requirement the Death Eater that was on permanent duty there rose to its feet as it received new instructions. It crossed to a panel on the wall and opened it, revealing a bank of switches and levers. As it began manipulating the controls the room shuddered and twisted as it changed. The wave of change swept from the room and across the whole of Hogwarts.

Instantly everything began to change. Walls folded open revealing new corridors, doorways suddenly sealed up. Staircases realigned themselves and rooms suddenly wiped themselves clean and took on new forms.

In amongst al this the Daleks, students and Aurors all found themselves caught up in the changes. Daleks were crushed as walls suddenly appeared from nowhere, Aurors quickly pulled students to safety and one hapless seventh year sheltering in one of the classrooms looked up in alarm as the door suddenly sealed up and the room began to shrink.

Within a matter of minutes Hogwarts had reshaped itself into quite a different layout of rooms.

Somewhere deep in these new rooms the Master found himself in a passage that led uninterrupted to his destination and laughed in triumph.

It wasn't apparent that anything was wrong at first but gradually first Harry and then everyone else heard - the sound of stone scraping and crashing together. What was it? Telling the group to stay where they were, Harry doubled back the way they had come to see what was happening. What he saw was unbelievable.

At the far end of the tunnel the walls were closing in. bit by bit the walls were joining together and sealing up, the whole process speeding towards Harry.

There was no time to waste. Harry ran back to the group. "Get up! We have to go, now!" The others leapt to their feet and ran, the passageway closing up behind them.

It became clear as they ran that the passageway was closing up at a faster rate than they could run, and it was only a matter of time before it caught them. Harry had hoped that they would find an exit, but whenever they saw one it quickly closed up.

_It's all a part of the Room. _Harry realised. _Something's changed. Our only hope is to find one of the natural secret passages_.

On and on they ran, the closing walls gaining on the inch by inch. Harry noticed the others beginning to tire. "Not far!" he shouted. "Keep going!" in his heart he prayed it was true.

Then they saw it. Just up ahead, was another passage, its appearance different to the tunnel they were in.

Harry's heart leapt. They had made it! Harry charged into this new corridor and was relieved to see that nothing changing or being altered here. Behind him Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Dean reached safety, but Romilda and Colin were lagging behind. Leaning in Harry grabbed Romilda's hand just as she tripped and pulled her to safety. Colin put on a burst of speed towards Harry, reaching out to grab his hand.

Then next thing Harry knew Colin had tripped and was swallowed up by the joining of the walls instantly. The next thing he knew he was up against a wall, the process finished. It was as if the passage they had just travelled down had never been there. Harry frantically knocked on the wall. "Colin! COLIN!"

There was a no reply.

Harry and Ron pointed their wand at the wall and tried every spell that they could think of but it was no use. Harry was't even sure where the join in the wall had been now. "It's no use…" he said, turning to the others. They all looked both devastated and horrified at Colin's fate. "We can't stay here," said Harry forcefully. He pushed through the group to the doorway leading back into the corridors of Hogwarts and inched it open. To his relief, the corridor was empty. "All clear," he reported, pushing the door open and stepping out. The others quickly followed.

But they had barely left the secret passage when they suddenly felt a tremor pass through the castle and heard what sounded like monstrous footsteps approaching them. As one the entire group pulled out their wands.

"What now?" asked Ron wearily. But his eyes widened in horror as a creature appeared from around the corner.

"What is _that?"_ asked Dean incredulously, putting a protective arm on Ginny.

It had the appearance of a giant four-legged spider that had been stretched and twisted out of shape. Its body was covered in a black shiny substance… the same stuff that the Master had been searching for? Thick black tentacles emerged from its back and waved in the air menacingly.

But the worst feature was the head - a human head sat atop the grotesque body and looked incredibly out of place. It's features had been altered to look more monstrous, but they were still recognisable…

"Professor!" shrieked Hermione suddenly. "Harry - _it's Professor McGonagall!_"

As if angered at the reminder of i's former identity the Creature roared at them and began to move towards them at a formidable speed.

"_Impedimenta!_" cried Harry suddenly, raising his wand as fast as he could. The spell hit the creature full force but aside from a brief stumble the Creature was unaffected. "All together! NOW!" bellowed Harry.

"_IMPEDIMENTA!_" cried the group. The spells hit the creature full force, flinging it backwards and onto its back. Harry saw one of it's tentacles brush a suit of armour and watched in astonishment as the armour instantly melted into a black puddle that was absorbed into the Creature's body. "Run!" cried Harry. "The Common room's just back here! And don't let it touch you!"

The group ran through the corridors with the McGonagall Creature hard on their heels. They were very close to the Common room, but Harry wasn't sure leading the creature there would be such a good idea. He looked around at the corridors as they ran through them. That was odd, he could have sworn some of these corridors hadn't been here before…

Just when it looked like things couldn't get worse, they turned the corner and found themselves facing a group of Daleks. "Exterminate!" they cried as one. Hermione screamed and clutched at Ron.

Next thing they knew, the McGonagall Creature had leapt over them and attacked the Daleks, who fired upon the creature in alarm as it smashed into them, sending them flying. Before the terrified gaze of the students the creature grabbed one of the Dalek's with it's tentacles and smashed it into the others. Taking advantage of the distraction, Harry quickly and quietly urged the others down a side corridor. After a creepy yet uneventful journey they found themselves in front of the profit of the Fat Lady.

"Thank goodness you've made it! Quick, inside!" she urged, swinging open unprompted. But even as the group began to climb in Harry heard something behind him that made his blood freeze.

"Location unlocked, all Daleks move in!"

Harry spun round in time to see a Dalek rounding the corner. It had been a trap, the Daleks had been waiting for someone to show them where the Common Rooms were. "Go on, quickly!" he shouted, pulling out his wand and pointing at the Dalek. He tried to shout "_Lectorius Sparkus!_" but had to throw himself aside mid sentence as the Dalek fired at him. Giving up on the idea of holding it off, Harry turned and ran over to the portrait, happy at least that everyone had made it in okay. He leapt in and watched the portrait close with great relief.

There wasn't a lot of people in the common room Harry spotted Katie Bell, Dennis Creevy Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnegan amongst the people he didn't know, but there were a lot of students unaccounted for, They must still be out there…

"Harry!" cried Neville as he spotted them. "You made it!"

Instantly everyone in he Common room crowded around Harry's group. "How did you avoid those things? Have you seen hat it's like out there?" What do we do?" they asked, shouting questions left right and centre.

Harry held up his gad for silence. "Calm down, calm down! Panicking isn't going to help!" he called. The room fell silent. Harry was about to carry on talking when they all realised that they could hear the Dalek and the Fat Lady on the other side of the portrait (3).

"Open!" ordered the Dalek.

"Not without the password!" said the Fat Lady indignantly, with a hint of smugness.

"Open, or you will be exterminated!" replied the Dalek.

"I would like to see you trYEEEEEEEEEE" the Fat Lady's scream rang around the common room as the portrait suddenly exploded inwards. Several students were thrown back while others screamed in horror as the Dalek emerged in from the cloud of dust and entered the common room.

**Appendix**

(1) One person had a ghost fly straight through him by mistake once and was convinced that it had taken something from inside him in the progress. He unsuccessfully tried to sue the Ghost for this.

(2) Although now long gone, there was a family whose name really was Something-Or-Other. Nobody really liked the Something-Or-Others, as it was said they were incredibly vain.

(3) I was tempted to call the chapter 'The Dalek and the Fat Lady' but it was a bit of a giveaway, sadly.


	23. The Willow Race

-Chapter Twenty One-

_The Willow Race_

For a split second everyone was frozen with horror at the sight of the Dalek ascending into the Common Room, then everyone screamed and ran for the stairs to the dormitories in a vain attempt to escape. With a cry of "Exterminate!" the Dalek fired at them, hitting a few students in the back as they fled.

Several students were stopped from fleeing by the Dalek's deadly ray nearly hitting them and resorted to diving behind the furniture instead. The Dalek moved towards them, blasting the chairs and tables apart as it went.

Having reached the stairs Harry saw the Dalek moving towards a table that Dean Thomas was crouched behind and reacted instinctively. "Here!" he cried, firing a quick "_Stupefy!_" at the Dalek to get its attention and throwing himself off of the staircase as it fired, landing behind a chair. However he misjudged the jump and lost his balance, twisting his ankle and inadvertently sending his wand flying away from him. Cursing, Harry looked up at the Dalek as it glided towards him…

Suddenly Dean leapt up from behind his chair, wand at the ready. "_STUPEFY!_" he bellowed.

The spell had no effect on the Dalek, but it distracted it before it could shoot Harry and it angrily turned to fire on Dean, who ducked back behind his chair just in time. Before the Dalek could move in for the kill, it was distracted by first Neville and than another student Harry didn't know (1) doing the same thing, thoroughly confusing the Dalek.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Harry flung himself towards his wand. The Dalek abruptly turned and fired, missing Harry by inches. Neville, Dean and the other student all kept firing spells at the Dalek, ducking between furniture to confuse it. Harry's fingers closed around his wand and he lea[t to his feet "_Lectori-"_ Instantly his ankle exploded with pain, causing Harry to cut off his spell with a gasp of pain at exactly the wrong moment. He watched the Dalek turn to face him almost in slow motion, all thoughts of spells vanishing as he stared at certain death.

"Look out Harry, I've got this!" cried Dean, leaping to his feet and pointing his wand at the Dalek's back. He almost seemed to be enjoying himself.

The Dalek didn't even look back. Instead its entire midsection spun round to face Dean and fired. Dean screamed as he was hit and fell to the ground. Full of rage, Harry raised his wand again. "_LECTORIUS SPARKUS!_"

Electricity shot from the wand and hit the Dalek. It cried out as its body exploded in several places, but Harry did not lower his wand even after the Dalek's body was nothing more than a charred wreck and the spell had died away. Silence rang about room afterwards as everyone stared in horror at the Dalek's remains.

"Dean!" cried Ginny suddenly, running down the stairs and hurrying over to Dean's body. She knelt by it and held it tightly, quietly weeping. The rest of the students silently descended from the dormitories, hardly able to believe that it was safe.

Hermione gently took Harry's hand and lowered it for hi. "Harry… are you okay?"

Harry didn't look at her, his eyes rooted to the sight of Ginny holding Dean's body and Ron hurrying over to comfort her. "It's my fault. I could have taken it out but I panicked…"

"It's not your fault." said Hermione gently. "If you hadn't reacted when you did everybody would be dead. You saved us all."

Harry nodded. "You're right." He said hollowly. He forced himself to focus on the positive side of things. Everyone else was safe. Harry looked over at Ron as he descended into the room. "How many others are there?" he asked.

"Neville, Seamus, Lavender, a couple of the other sixth years and some second, third, fourth and fifth years. I think all of the seventh Years are still out there., reported Ron.

"No first years?" asked Harry.

"Didn't see any," said Ron, his face going pale at the implication. "You don't think…?"

But Harry was thinking hard as an even more disturbing thought occurred to him. "Hey… did we have the Sorting this year?"

Every face in the room clouded as they thought back to the night they arrived. "I… I don't think so," said Hermione in confusion. There was a general murmur of agreement.

"How did we not notice that?" asked Ron.

But now that they had noticed that Harry realised something else. "And lessons! We haven't been any lessons since our Defence Against The Dark Arts lesson! I've been so focussed on the Master and the Daleks it never occurred to me to go to any classes… And look outside!" he exclaimed, pointing to the window where the sun was shining in. "It's like summer out there! And we've been here for what, a month? It should be October!" A quick look at everyone else showed that they were thinking the same thing.

What was happening?

"So what do we do now?" asked Hermione finally.

"Yes, Potter," said a familiar voice from the entrance. "What's your plan?"

Everybody spun round in surprise. Standing in the ruined entrance was Professor Snape. He briefly examined the broken frame of where the Fat Lady had been, before turning to Harry. No one in the room said anything as he stepped into the room. Behind him came Professor Flitwick. "Well, come on Potter," drawled Snape, glaring at Harry with utter contempt. "What is your wonderful plan?"

"That'll do, Severus." squeaked Flitwick, stepping in front of him. "Is everybody here okay?"

He took in the entire room at a glance, shaking his head in sorrow at Dean's body. "Potter, give me your Map."

Harry handed it over to him, wondering vaguely how Flitwick had known about it. "Sir, Professor McGonagall…"

"We know what has happened to Minerva." said Flitwick sadly. "That's why Severus and I are here. Someone had to check up on you." He examined the Map, his expression grave. "It looks like you were right, Severus. something is seriously wrong with the school."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, taking the Map back and looking at it. What he saw was unbelievable.

Everything on the Map had changed. Every corridor had changed direction and several of the rooms had changed or disappeared entirely. Even as Harry watched the entire map blurred as a staircase appeared here and a corridor twisted itself round, leading to who knows where. Harry's eyes were drawn to a section that seemed completely cut off from the rest of the school and appeared to be a constantly shifting maze. Heading through it at great speed was a dot labelled "The Master".

Suddenly everything made sense. "The Master's done this!" exclaimed Harry. "He's using it to allow him to do whatever he wants to without being disturbed! And I'm certain he's the one who's meddled with the school year."

"What do you mean?" asked Flitwick. Harry quickly filled him and Snape in on what he and the others had realised.

"Then this is more serious than we could possibly have imagined," said Flitwick gravely. Everyone fell silent. The thought of the Master being able to manipulate their lives on a whim like this was not a pleasant one.

"We have to stop him," said Harry. He waved the Marauder's Map in the air. "We can use this to get to him before he gets what he wants and stop him."

"Then go," agreed Flitwick. "I shall stay here and look after everything."

"What about the Houses?" asked Hermione.

"The charms I have put on the Ravenclaw Common Room will be more than enough to protect my students. Squeaked Flitwick assuredly.

"And my students are more than capable of looking after themselves," sneered Snape, smiling smugly (2).

"Severus will accompany you," said Flitwick. Snape's smile vanished.

In the corridors the Master cursed loudly. He was certain that he had travelled down this corridor before but they all looked the same. Not only that every corner he turned revealed more and more corridors branching off. Was he going in circles? Could it be that the school himself was trying to stop him? The Master dismissed such thought. Something had gone wrong with the Room of Requirement, that was all. The Master pressed on. He would not be stopped now he was so close to his goal.

Shortly afterwards Harry, Ron, Hermione and Snape stepped into the new corridors of Hogwarts. Everything certainly had changed; not only was the corridor much longer than it had been but Harry could also see several doors and corridors branching off that had not been there before.

Not only had the layout changed but the architecture didn't make any sense. On their journey they saw staircases that only ascended a few feet before abruptly vanishing underneath a half finished wall. In another spot they saw a door set into the floor of the corridor that when opened only had a short space underneath it that was full of water. Another door hung open in its frame, behind which was only a wall, and at another point they found a corridor that could be entered through a small letterbox-shaped opening in the wall. Looking through it revealed walls so bright that the looker was temporarily blinded for a few seconds. These were but a few things changed in the new twisted Hogwarts.

The four of them travelled in silence. They could still hear the sounds of battle in the distance, but apart from coming across a former battle site they did not encounter any Daleks, but did see several damaged portraits left vacant and various bits of furniture that had been destroyed. All four of them ignored any bodies of students or Aurors as best as they could. The only dangerous moment was when the altering of corridors meant they suddenly found themselves facing the McGonagall Creature. After a short chase they had been saved by Snape's quick thinking. He had shoved them into a tiny corridor that was so narrow they could barely fit in it themselves and merely spiralled into a blank wall. By going down it as far as they could go the McGonagall Creature was unable to followed them and had eventually lost interest, heading off to unknown parts of the Castle. Harry, Ron and Hermione did not thank Snape for this and he in turn did not make sure they were okay before continuing onwards.

Snape mostly kept quiet and led the way, while Harry focussed on trying to decipher the Marauder's Map, which was now changing so much it was beginning to look like someone had brushed it before the ink had dried and smudged everything. Snape did not acknowledge the three of them in any way, other than when the sounds of battle grew louder, at which point he would throw up a hand to stop them and only move again when he was sure it was safe. Harry was just glad he wasn't being his usual spiteful self.

On one occasion they had to cross a room that was full of the strange black substance, with a only a few stepping stones sticking out for them to traverse across. "This is what the Master was looking for!" exclaimed Harry. "I saw it on the Hogwarts Express as well!" He watched with trepidation as Snape knelt down carefully for a closer look at the stuff. "It is only ink, Potter." he said eventually. "This is not a good time for your usual attention-seeking, now come along." And with that he got to his feet and jumped to the exit without looking back, leaving Harry slightly nonplussed.

Eventually their luck ran out. They approached a corner and could hear the sounds of battle from close by but there seemed to be no other way forward. Indicating that they should stay where they were, Snape pulled out his wand and went around the corner. Fed up of being kept out of the loop, Harry and the others ran after him.

They were greeted by the sight of an uneven corridor. The floor kept rising up and then abruptly dropping away to its original height, like gigantic waves frozen on a body of water. The ceiling was in a similar state. At the foot of the nearest 'wave' was a group of Aurors, who were firing spells over the top of it. At the far end of the room Harry could make out a group of Daleks. They were unable to advance down the corridor due to the waves on both the ceiling and floor making the available space too short and had resorted to shooting the ground and ceiling. Harry was relieved to see that they were not making headway.

One of the Aurors beckoned them to come closer and Harry recognised him as Dawlish. He looked haggard and terrified, like a man struggling to cope when completely out of his depth.

"What's the situation?" demanded Snape. "Where's Diggory?"

"We got most of the students back to their Common Rooms," said Dawlish breathlessly. "I've not seen Amos in some time. Everyone was separated, I don't know what to do! The rest of the Aurors are all scattered over Hogwarts…" his voice began to rise in panic.

"Calm down," snapped Snape irritably. "Potter, find out where we need to go, if you can."

Ignoring the jibe, Harry looked at the Map as best as he could, but it was now verging on being completely indecipherable. He could still make out the dot representing the Master though.

"I think he's heading for the Entrance Hall," reported Harry. Perhaps what he wanted was outside? As far as he could tell The Master had nearly escaped from the maze. "We've not got much time, he's nearly there!" He tried to check on other areas but it was impossible. In frustration Harry pointed his wand at it and snapped "Mischief managed!" and wiped the Map clean, waited for a few seconds and then solemnly swore he was up to no good again, but only a jumbled mess appeared on the Map. "It's the Entrance Hall." He decided anyway. "Is there any other way we can get there?"

As if in response to his question a tremor suddenly passed through the castle and before their eyes two of the walls suddenly split part, revealing yet another corridor, apparently empty of any of the odd features they had seen so far.

"How very convenient," said Snape, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Nevertheless it was either this or face off against the Daleks, so JHarry, Ron, Hermione and Snape set off down it, only to be stopped by a cry from Dawlish. "Wait! We're coming with you."

"But what about the other students?" demanded Hermione. "There's still some out there!"

"You say the Master is behind this. We stop him and all this ends." said Dawlish decisively, his eyes shining with purpose. Harry was going to point out that the Daleks still had to be dealt with but stopped himself. Perhaps Dawlish was right, whatever the Master was up to couldn't be good. If they stopped him it would be a step in the right direction. With a nod of his head they the small group set off, leaving the group of Daleks still fruitlessly attempting to blast their way down the corridor.

They made their way through the corridors carefully. They would occasionally hear the odd spell being fired and the firing of Dalek guns but other than that there were no dangerous encounters. The continued transformation of the Castle confused them but Hermione managed to keep them on track by use of the "Point Me" Charm to make their wands point north and by making sure they only took downward staircases. Harry was just glad they didn't have to explain themselves to the Aurors anymore (3). At one point they came across a group of Slytherins - lead by Malfoy - who were escorting a group of second and third years to safety. Malfoy, who looked pale and drawn, gave Harry a nod before quickly ushering the group on it's way.

Eventually they came across what was fast becoming a rare occurrence in Hogwarts - a window (4) - and we delight to see that they were finally on the ground floor! It had felt like hours since they set off from the Common Room.

"I think this actually looks familiar," said Ron uncertainly.

"You're right," said Snape, not looking at Ron. "As long as the layout of this area has not changed too much we should be there at any moment."

At that moment they all felt a tremor pass through the school. They had all become so used to it that nobody paid it any attention.

Except this one was followed by "Humans! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

The group spun round. Behind them a narrow opening had appeared and filing through it was a group of Daleks. One of them opened fire and one of the Aurors was felled instantly.

"Go!" roared Snape, shoving Harry further down the corridor. "We'll handle this. Get out of here!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't need any second bidding. They ran for the lives down the corridor, the sounds of spells and death behind them.

But around the corner was something that made them forget all about Snape and the Aurors. They found themselves in the Entrance Hall and there, on the other side of the room, was the Master.

He was leaning on the doorframe he was standing in and looked like he had been running nonstop for quite some time, but at the sight of Harry and the others his whole body tensed and his wand was suddenly in his hand. "Harry, Weasley, Miss Granger. I see you were able to catch up to me despite everything."

"Afraid so," said Harry simply, raising his wand. Behind him Ron and Hermione did the same.

"Then it is lucky that I have more contingencies!" chuckled the Master. He flicked his wand almost unnoticeably and suddenly Harry and his friends fond their wands flying from their hands as they were flung backwards by a blast of air. Before they could get to their feet the Master had flung the front doors open with a blast of magic and was running out onto the front lawn. "Come on!" cried Harry, grabbing his wand and running in pursuit. The Master was not going to escape him again.

It was easy to work out the Master's destination as they ran onto the lawn - he was running towards the Whomping Willow. Harry was confused. Was what he wanted at the Shrieking Shack? There had been nothing particularly spectacular about it when they had visited in the Third Year…

He saw that the Master was nearly there. In desperation to stop him Harry tried his best to aim his wand while running. "_Impedimenta!_"

His spell hit the Master spot on, sending his legs flying out from underneath him. But they were so close to the Whomping Willow that the spell hit it too, and instantly the Willow sprang to life, pounding the ground around it. The Master had fallen within its boundary and quickly scrambled out of the way of a falling branch. He climbed to his feet and pointed his wand at Harry, Ron and Hermione drew closer.

"This world of yours continues to surprise me Harry, but I no longer have the time for it," snarled the Master.

"You're going nowhere," snapped Harry, wand at the ready. "This ends, now."

The Master smirked. "As you wish." He swiped the air and a wave of fire flew towards Harry, who flung himself to the ground to avoid it. Behind him Ron grabbed Hermione and pulled her out of harms way, not quite getting out of the way himself and screaming as his robes caught fire, although a jet of water from his wand quickly put them out.

Harry leapt back up to his feet with a cry of "_Stupefy!_", only to see the Master casually block it. A spell from Hermione had the similar effect. "You are taking on somebody with the abilities of one of the greatest wizards," sneered the Master. "This battle is pointless!" With a wave of his wand the ground suddenly shook as several vines erupted from the ground and twisted themselves around Harry, Ron and Hermione before they could react. They struggled with all their might but the vines seized up and they found themselves unable to move. The Master smiled, mockingly, enjoying their plight, before raising his wand. "Goodbye, Harry."

A blast of light suddenly sliced through the air, severing the vines instantly. Surprised, Harry turned around as he threw their remains off himself and saw Snape, Dawlish, and a few of the Aurors running towards them. Harry laughed. He never would've thought he'd be pleased to see Snape. "It's over," he said to the Master, grinning in victory.

Too late he saw the Master's hand flick a switch on his watch. Immediately several masked figures emerged from the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

Death Eaters.

Almost immediately they began firing spells at the Aurors, who returned fire. Harry rushed forwards to help, only to see the Master quickly grab a convenient branch off the ground (5). He pressed the knot at the foot of the Whomping Willow's trunk, freezing it instantly. The Master ran over to it and began to descend down the secret passage. Desperate not to let the Master escape again, Harry charged after him and began to crawl the tunnel. Behind him Ron and Hermione cried out and tried to follow, only to be cut off by the spells from the Death Eaters and by the Willow itself as it suddenly burst into life again. A voice in Harry's head urged him to go back and help, to get proper reinforcements, but Harry continued to descend. There was no going back now.

Deep in the cavern, the hooded Man and Woman watched the events unfold on a one of the bubbles of the ink-like substance as it floated before them. The image flickered, as if it was being viewed on a slightly out of tune transistor. "The Master has failed!" said the Woman in alarm. "He is drawing Potter here and has irreversibly damaged Hogwarts!"

"Calm down." said the Man, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "The damage he has done can be fixed, you know that. And as for Potter," he added, a hint of menace creeping into his voice, "Isn't it appropriate that we should all be together for the Grand Finale?"

**Appendix**

(1) This student was actually the legendary Barbus McTan, who would go on to write a book on his experiences. The book, _My Struggle with the Alien!_ was critically panned due to numerous inaccuracies throughout, as well as Babus' insistence that HE had saved the day.

(2) This later went on to become a popular tongue-twister.

(3) Overtime Harry's tale would be told by many others over the years, and each one of them would have more and more embellishments and become increasingly inaccurate. The Master's role was eventually transferred to Dumbledore, making the kindly wizard into something of a bogeyman in the Wizarding World. Other events, such as Harry having to fight a gigantic lump of jelly that Malfoy set on him and Hogwarts being attacked by flying curtain poles and being visited by a time travelling carrot are simply not true… sadly.

(4) The only thing rarer was the mythical Painting of Immobility - so called because it never moved. Whether it is magic or not was never determined, although the pairing itself did seem to have a habit of moving from place to place apparently on it's own whim, but over the years sightings of it have become increasingly rare.

(5) Yes, it was the same branch from _The Prisoner of Azkaban_. And yes, it has been lying there all this time. Poor branch.


	24. Bubbles In The Air

-Chapter Twenty Two-

_Bubbles In The Air_

**Fun fact: the biggest revelation of the story come as at the end of this Chapter. If you don't want it spoiled, don't read any of the appendix notes until you've reached the end!**

Harry ran as fast as he could down the low tunnel. Initially he rushed forwards blindly but soon he became aware that something was different. With a quick "_Lumos!_" he illuminated his wand for a better look at things.

A series of pipes now ran down through the tunnel. Who had put them there? Confused, Harry continued down the tunnel until he saw what seemed to be an inspection hatch. Harry hurried over to it and had a look.

The pipe was full of the inky substance that the Master had been so eagerly searching for and it seemed to be being pumped along the pipe towards Hogwarts. had the Master or the Daleks put these pipes here? And speaking of the Master… Harry looked down the tunnel but could see no sign of the Master anywhere. Where had he gone? Was there another way out of here that he had missed? Determined not to lose his prey, Harry set off down the tunnel.

As soon as he was gone something stirred from the space underneath the pipe. The Master climbed out slowly, his eyes glinting in triumph. Now he had Harry exactly where he wanted him.

Harry carried on down the tunnel, by now convinced that something was seriously wrong. The tunnel had changed so drastically since the last time he had been down here. Had the Shrieking Shack changed as well? And what could the Master want from there?

Harry got his answer when he reached the end of the tunnel. The Master's goal had not been the Shrieking Shack. The Shrieking Shack was no longer there.

Instead the tunnel now opened into a large cavern, one of the largest that Harry had ever seen. The centre was dominated by a gigantic pool that was full to the brim of the ink-like substance. This was what the Master had been searching for. But why?

Movement up above caught Harry's eye. The room was full of several gigantic bubbles of the black stuff, each floating serenely around the room. On each one he could see a different area of the Wizarding World. Diagon Ally, St. Mungos, The Ministry of Magic…

But there were several smaller ones as well, each one containing the image of a different person. One showed Rufus Scrimgeour, sitting behind his desk and writing on a bit of parchment. On another was Mr. Ollivander, who seemed to be curled up in a dark place, looking utterly dejected. And there was…

Harry gulped. There, his face full of the self-satisfaction, was the image of Voldemort.

So powerful was Harry's hatred that his hand instantly went for his wand, but before he could do anything the image of Voldemort gave a start and the bubble suddenly popped into nothingness (1).

Deciding to explore further, Harry followed a pathway around the edge of the pool. On the far side, most bizarrely, was what appeared to be a desk. Harry arrived what appeared to be a large living area. It was indeed a desk, a writing desk to be exact. It sat on a small ledge that overlooked the pool. Harry could see furnishings around the area, like a hatstand and what seemed to be a mirror, but only contained the image of what seemed to be a thick mist. A small rug was on the floor, was well as some potted plants.

As out of place as they looked, it made it pretty clear that someone lived there. But where were they? Harry made his way to the writing desk. As he got closer a bubble rose up form the depths of the pool. Harry was surprised to see an image of himself in the same place copying his actions. As he watched it floated away serenely down a tunnel he hadn't noticed before. Harry was about to follow but something on the writing desk caught his eye. It was a piece of parchment and quill. Somebody had written something on the parchment. Harry leaned in for a closer look.

"_Harry leaned in for a closer look. What he saw written down confused him but before he could investigate further a spell hit him square in the back._"

Harry heard movement behind and on an impulse flung himself to one side. tHe spell hit the desk instead with an almighty BANG! but when Harry looked up he noticed that it did not seem to be damaged. Standing behind him was the Master, wand held out before him.

Harry instantly went for his wand but the Master sent it flying from his hands with a cry of "_Expelliarmus!_". Harry braced himself for a deadly curse and glared at the Master, defiant to the end.

But the Master was more focused on where they were."And here we are… the centre of everything!" he laughed. "The heart and soul of the world!"

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

The Master grinned at him. "This cavern where we stand is the entire reason I'm here. Your entire world was born from that pool."

"The entire Wizarding World was founded here?" asked Harry incredulously. How could an entire society be founded in a single room?

"Not founded Harry, _created_. At some point in the past someone put pen to paper at that desk and the ink in that pool formed itself into your world, the inhabitants, even you Harry," said the Master mockingly. "You are all nothing more than a lump of Fiction! And I have come to take control!" He took a step forwards, eyes fixed on the writing desk.

Harry looked to his where his wand had fallen but the Master laughing again. "You are not real, Harry, nothing you can do will stop me."

"Then what are you?" demanded Harry. "And what is this place?"

"I am the Master of all!" declared the Master triumphantly. "And this Land is a world within the universe itself. Many people have been drawn into it and trapped, doomed to be the plaything of whoever controls it. Where are now is where you could say the Writer controls everything." Harry could see the look of greed in the Master's eyes. "And now it shall be mine. I have bested the Land of Fiction's trials and manipulations and shall be it's new Master. I shall use the Land to reshape the entire universe!" He took another step forwards, wand at the ready. "Now you can see why I shall not be stopped Harry. Stand aside," he said, his wand lighting up menacingly (2).

But Harry did not move aside. His mind was in a whirl over all of the recent revelations. He still wasn't sure of what was happening but he knew one thing: The Master gaining control over this "Land" would not be a good thing.

"But you manipulated our lives!" exclaimed Harry in an attempt to keep the Master distracted. Maybe the Aurors would arrive if he kept the Master busy… "You removed events, got rid of the owls, placed the Daleks in Hogwarts!"

"I did none of those things," smiled the Master, but Harry could see the confusion in his eyes.

"I did!" Snapped a voice from across the room. Harry looked over his shoulder. Standing in the opening on the other side of the Cavern was a man, his face obscured by the hood of a long robe he was wearing. "So, I see the famous Harry Potter has managed to fin his way here," he said in a tantalisingly familiar voice. "Unfortunate, but you will not stop our plans."

"Plans?" asked Harry, now throughly confused. What was the man talking about? And who was he? Harry couldn't quite place the voice…

"Our plans for a better world," said the Man solemnly. "And you will not interfere, Potter."

"The Writer, I presume?" asked the Master with mock-joviality, stepping swiftly in front of Harry. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am -"

"- The Master," finished the Man. "Yes, you have been a disappointment to us as a pawn."

"Pawn?" said the Master, outraged. "I am nobody's pawn! I am the Master, and I will take this world from your hands!" He suddenly raised his wand, but the Man's was already slashing the air. A wave of magic hit the Master in the chest and cut deep. The Master cried out and staggered backwards, clutching at his chest. But it was not blood that poured out of his chest, it was the same black substance he had been hoping to use.

"I-ink?" he gasped weakly.

"You are nothing," said the Man simply. "A mere fictional copy of the Master that we used for our own ends. And a poor copy at that." The Master leaned against the back wall, his eyes never leaving the ink pouring from his wound. He slid to the ground and was still.

The Man turned to Harry, wand still raised. "And as for you, Potter," he spat. Harry could hear the venom in his voice. "The Chosen One, going on adventure after adventure, driving friends and allies to follow and leading them to their deaths!"

"Who are you?" demanded Harry he was sick of all of this mystery. He wanted answers.

"I am someone who has had to suffer thanks to your corruption." said the Man, his voice rising in fury. "You took away the most valuable thing in my life," he threw back his hood, revealing the person underneath. "Do you recognise me now? Do you understand?"

It was Amos Diggory.

**Appendix**

(1) Bubblevisions used to be a popular form of television n the Wizarding World. However despite many attempts to improve them the bubbles were prone to popping at unfortunate moments, even during emotional moments like the winning of the Quidditch World Cup.

(2) Despite the rather dramatic effect this is merely a variation of the _Lumos_ spell, simply making the wand light up in a different colour.


	25. A Finale Of Sorts

-Chapter Twenty Three-

_A Finale Of Sorts_

Harry stared at him in a mixture of horror and disbelief. "Mr. Diggory?"

"Yes," said Diggory. "Does everything make sense now?"

They unfortunately did. Harry thought back to his fourth year, to when he and Cedric Diggory had competed in the Triwizard Tournament. How Cedric had been killed. Amos had always been intensely proud of his son, and was always boasting about Cedric's achievements. He remembered Amos' anger at the perceived ignoring of Cedric's involvement in the Tournament over Harry's.

"But why are you doing this?" he asked finally.

"You couldn't possibly understand," replied Diggory.

"I think I do!" Harry replied, his voice rising. "You're doing this for revenge aren't you? Using the Master and the Daleks to kill me and avenge your son!"

"There it is again!" shouted Diggory. "That… that _arrogance_! This is not about you Potter! This is about Cedric."

He crossed over to the writing desk and inspected it for any damage from the Master's attack. Harry slowly made his way to where his wand had fallen. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he would feel safer with it.

But Diggory saw the slight movement and reacted instantly. With a flourish his wand was suddenly a black quill. He immediately began writing on the paper on the desk. "_The ground at Harry's feet suddenly softened and Harry found himself sinking, his wand remaining just beyond his reach._"

Before Harry could even react he suddenly found himself being sinking. Looking down, he was horrified to see that the rocky ground had now turned into some sort of mud that was pulling him down. Harry struggled with all of his might, reaching for his wand but it remained tantalisingly out of his reach. Just when he thought he was finished, the sinking stopped at his waist before the mud solidified again.

"Do you like it Potter?" sneered Diggory, looking at Harry in triumph.

"How did you do that?" asked Harry, struggling not to panic.

"Everything written on the parchment on this desk comes true," explained Amos, grabbing a pile of papers that was sitting on the desk and holding them up. "And as you can see, this story of ours has been going on for quite a while. That is why you will not spoil our plans."

"Our plans?" asked Harry, now very confused. Who else was involved?

In answer Diggory looked over to the tunnel he had emerged from and Harry did the same. Another hooded figure walked out and removed its hood, revealing the face of Aneytha Diggory, Amos' wife. Any hope Harry had that she might help him when she shot a look of pure venom at him (1). So she blamed him too.

"It wasn't my fault!" shouted Harry. "We both took the trophy so that it would be a joint win! How was I supposed to know that it was a portkey?"

"But it was your fault that he were there!" roared Amos. "Your repeated successes in the Tournament drove Cedric into trying harder and be there with you in the maze!"

"You just don't get it, do you?" said Aneytha. "All your bravado does is get people into trouble. First Cedric in the Tournament, then your friends and Sirius Black in the Ministry. Who next?"

Harry was silent.

"How are things looking?" Aneytha asked Amos, looking away from Harry.

"The same," replied Amos. "The entirety of Hogwarts is nothing more than jumbled mess, thanks to him." He gestured over to the corner where the Master's body lay.

"Then rewrite it!" cried Harry. "Use that parchment to fix everything, get rid of the Daleks, bring everyone back!"

Aneytha glared at him for a moment before turning away so that Harry couldn't see her face. "You can't bring back the dead. Believe me, we've tried."

A heavy silence fell across the room. Harry could tell what they were thinking. A brief movement caught his eye in the mouth of the tunnel he had entered and he strained to see what it was.

His heart skipped a beat at what he saw. There, peering cautiously around into the cave, was Ron and Hermione. Harry thought fast. If the Diggorys saw them then who knew what could happen. And if Ron and Hermione were there than that meant the Aurors couldn't be far behind. And if Amos and Aneytha thought they were being attacked…

"So what the Master said," he began, desperate to distract them. "About us being fiction…"

"All true, I'm afraid." said Amos, the contempt evident his voice. "Aneytha and I eventually realised what we we were. You can see and understand how things are if you are in the right emotional state you see…"

_Like from the loss of your son._ Thought Harry, wisely keeping it to himself.

"We tracked down the writer in the hope that she could bring Cedric back," continued Aneytha. "But… Something went wrong."

"Leaving us in charge," added Amos hastily. "And we soon realised that we were now in charge of the story and that we could change things for the better." He waved his wand (which was suddenly no longer a quill) and the bubbles in the air flew downwards, allowing Harry to see the images he had seen before. "Look at them, Potter. Look at what we have achieved."

At first Harry couldn't see anything different about the images but soon realised that it wasn't the places, it was the people. One bubble floated forwards, displaying an image of Azkaban. On it the sun was streaming through the corridors, making it into a brighter place. The prisoners were being led out of their cells by various guards. "Murderers, thieves and con artists, have had all of their negative attributes removed and are being released." he heard Diggory say. Another image flew forward, displaying an image of St. Mungo's. On it everybody was climbing out of hospital beds, laughing in disbelief. "With a simple sentence, all illnesses and maladies are removed and the people are cured." More images flew by, before settling on the image of Voldemort from before. Now Harry saw he was shackled to a wall, looking half-dead. "And lastly we have imprisoned the Dark Lord somewhere he can never harm anybody again. Look at we have done, Potter. We have created paradise."

"But you can't just change people!" cried Harry, horrified at what he had seen. "Where do you stop? First it's changing a criminal to be better, then what? Altering people because they annoyed you? Getting rid of part of what makes them them because you don't approve?"

"We knew you'd think like that." snarled Diggory. "Just like Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore knew?" asked Harry, horrified.

"No." said Aneytha. "But we knew that he think along the same lines as you. That is where the Master came in." She pointed her wand at the mirror in the corner, whose surface shimmered. A character appeared within it: a wizard, dressed all in white with a long grey beard and holding a wooden staff. The mirror shimmered and the image was replaced by a man in a victorian outfit with a piercing gaze. Then it was replaced by a bearded man in sea-faring garb. Then a woman dressed all in black, a veil covering her face. A small man with a mop of black hair in scruffy clothes. A young maiden with impossibly long hair. A masked man dressed in shining purple tights and a jet black cape, a strange-looking gun in hand. On and on the images went, getting faster and faster. "This world stores all of it's characters when not in use. Some are created from fiction while others have been…. drawn into the world and altered to suit it's needs." Amos crossed over to where the Master's body was lying and looked down at it with contempt. "We knew that Dumbledore would not agree with what we are doing so we used the Master to keep him distracted. But we didn't anticipate on the Master's ambition."

"So the Master's just from another story?" asked Harry, risking a quick look at Ron. Both he and Hermione were creeping up the pathway, wands at the ready and being careful not to be seen. "The Daleks as well?"

"No." said Aneytha. "From what we can tell the Master's a fictional version of the real thing. We felt the Master was best suited for distracting Dumbledore from our plans. But he was too independent. He worked for his own goals. As for the Daleks, they were drawn into Land of Fiction like so many others. We put them to good use."

"But they're killing everyone!" cried Harry, pointing at an image of Hogwarts. "And do you think they're going to stop there? They're going to wipe out the everyone!"

"We can fix that!" shouted Amos. "We can bring everything back!"

"Then why haven't you?" challenged Harry.

There was a long silence. Amos and Aneytha looked at each other uncertainly.

"You can't do it, can you?" said Harry with growing realisation. "You can't control them because they're not made of fiction, is that right?"

More silence. Harry's worst fears were confirmed. "Then you've killed us all. Your attempts to 'save' us have done the exact opposite."

"It was necessary," whispered Amos, no longer angry. "We had to do it to stop Dumbledore from finding out. He would have stopped us from saving the world. You have to understand…"

But the look on Amos' face showed that he didn't believe them himself and he hid his face in his hands. Athena hurried over to him and embraced him, silently weeping. Harry looked on. "There must be something we could do…" He suddenly spotted Ron appear on the plateau and quickly beckoned for him to get back out of sight.

But Amos had seen the movement. In one swift movement he he pushed Aneytha aside and pointed his wand at Ron. "_Impedimenta!_" the spell hit Ron full force, sending him barrelling back and nearly over the edge. "A trick!" roared Amos. "A stupid trick to allow your friends to rescue you!" He pointed his wand at Harry, a dangerous look on his face.

"_Expelliarmus!_" cried Hermione suddenly, sending Amos' wand flying from his hands. With a bellow of rage Amos flung himself at the wand. Aneytha sent a a curse Hermione's way, who blocked it. Ron leapt forward, sending a jinx at Aneytha. "Get Harry!" he shouted over the sound of spells. Hermione ran over to Harry and pointed her wand at him. "_Finite Incantatem!_"

Instantly the ground softened and Harry was able to pull himself out with Hermione's help. "We need to get out of here!" she yelled.

"No!" shouted Harry, running over to the desk. He had to undo everything before things grew worse. He grabbed his wand and was surprised to find that it had turned into a jet black quill. Dismissing the change, he began to write.

_Everything the Diggory's had done was reversed. Things were back to as they were before-_

"_IMMOBULUS!_"

Harry cried out as the freezing spell hit him square in the back and he found himself unable to move, falling backwards to the floor. Behind him Hermione shrieked as Amos knocked her back with a spell. On the other side of the platform Ron had been subdued by Aneytha. The bubbles shuddered as the new changes were implemented and everything began to go back to normal. "No, Potter!" roared Amos. "You will not undo everything we have strived for! I can see now that there is only one thing we can do"

"Amos…" began Aneytha uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

Amos nodded. "It's the only way." He glared down at Harry. "Our original was a lot more extreme. You see, we realised what the main problem was. It was you, Potter. We realised that if the Dark Lord had not attacked you back then, none of this would have happened. He would have been defeated by Dumbledore and everything would be different today." A single tear fell from his eye. "Cedric would still be here. But we thought you had the right to live as much as any other and strove to change things for the better. Yet here you are, ruining everything. We're going to have to do things differently." He turned away from Harry. Harry looked over at Aneytha in desperation but she would not meet his gaze.

Amos sat at the desk and began writing. "We shall have a new world. One without Harry Potter!"

The whole room started to shake. Harry struggled to rise but the spell was still affecting him. He watched in horror as a gigantic bubble rose from the pool, far larger than any of the others floating in the air. As everybody watched the giant bubble rose up, absorbing the smaller bubbles as it did so.

"A new world" whispered Amos. Aneytha walked over and took his hand.

Then it began to grow, swallowing everything up as it did so. Harry desperately tried to move as it began to envelop him and the others.

Then everything went black.

**Appendix**

(1) "A look of pure venom" actually dates from Wizarding times and refers to an extremely old urban legend of poisoning someone by looking at them and silently saying the spell without the use of a wand.


	26. The Adventures Of Ron Weasley

-Chapter Twenty Four-

_The Adventures Of Ron Weasley_

_All around him was darkness. It was so thick that he could barely breathe. He thrashed around inside of it desperately. He had to get out!_

Ron flung himself forwards and was surprised to find himself in his bed at home. He took a deep breath. It had just been a bad dream. Relieved, Ron moved to get out of bed and was surprised to find his body covered in a cold sweat. What had shaken him so much? Was it that dream? It had been about… been about… Ron found he couldn't remember anymore. Dismissing the thought, Ron quickly dressed and headed downstairs.

His mother beamed at him as he entered. "Here he is! Hogwarts' newest student!"

Ron's stomach lurched. Today was the day! How could he have forgotten? Ron frowned at this thought. How HAD he forgotten? It felt like he had been doing something else not too long ago…

"Sit!" ordered his Mum suddenly. "Breakfast will be ready soon, then we must pack your things." Ron sat at the table, his thoughts instantly turned what was coming.

It wasn't long before Fred, George and Percy arrived. "Aww, ickle Ronnie's all growing up!" said George, wiping away a mock tear from his eye.

"Get lost, George!" snapped Ron.

"Don't be like that!" laughed Fred "Otherwise we won't give you advice on taking down the troll, or how to get through the maze (1)!"

"Stop it!" snapped their Mother. "Leave him alone and eat your breakfast!You'd better not be like this to him all year!"

"Don't worry Mum," said Percy rather pompously, placing an arm around Ron. "I'll be there to look after him." Ron didn't find this particularly comforting. "Where's Dad?" he asked, hoping to change to the subject.

"He had to go to work early today. Now eat up! We're going to be late at this rate."

Ron ate his breakfast quickly, doing his best to block out Fred and George's jeering and Percy's attempts at giving advice. Once done he quickly excused himself and hurried upstairs to pack.

It wasn't until he was upstairs that he realized something was wrong. The corridor was darker than he remembered. And he could sense something. A presence, like somebody was standing just out of view ad watching him intently…

"Ron!" squealed Ginny, emerging from her room and hugging him tightly, making Ron jump. "I really really wish I was going!"

"Yeah, alright, get off!" cried Ron, pushing her away, annoyed at how paranoid he was getting. "I've gotta pack" He said, pushing past Ginny roughly and disappearing into his room to prevent her asking him any questions.

They arrived at the station later and were soon on Platform 9 3/4. Ron had been growing increasingly nervous on the journey, not helped by Fred and George's constant teasing of what to expect. They entered quickly and were soon the platform with the Hogwarts Express waiting for them.

"Not now Ginny… Now, you're gonna look after him aren't you?" Their Mother asked Fred and George, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice.

"'Course!" laughed Fred "But with all of the Trolls and Giants and…"

"That's enough!" snapped their Mother. 'If Ron comes back saying that you two have been like this all year I won't - oh, what is it Ginny?" she said, finally turning towards Ron's sister.

"Who are those people over there? They're dressed all funny!" asked Ginny, her voice dropping to a whisper.

Ron looked over to where she had been looking. Despite wearing the same clothes as everyone else, the family - a father, mother and a young girl around Ron's age - stood out somehow. Maybe it was the mutual look of wonder and apprehension on their faces as the parents talked to the young girl like it was all as new to them as it was to her.

"I bet she's a muggle-born!" said George excitedly. "Brilliant!"

"Shush, they'll hear you," said their Mother. "Now help Ron get his trunk on board."

All too soon the train was whistling that it was time to go (2) and before Ron knew it his Mother had said her goodbyes and he was on the train and it was moving and…

Ron leaned back from the window and looked around. This was it then. He was on the way to Hogwarts.

He wasn't the only one finding it all a bit daunting. A bunch of nervous-looking first years walked past him and disappeared into one of the compartments, jumping at any of the older children who said hello to them.

Deciding to find a compartment of his own, Ron made his way down the train, struggling with his heavy trunk. Fred, George and Percy had all vanished somewhere, leaving him alone. All of the comportments he passed were full, but eventually he found an empty one at the end of the train.

At least he thought it was empty, but as Ron approached it he realized that there was somebody standing inside, seemingly staring right at him. Ron couldn't help but fell a little uneasy.

"Is this one taken?" he asked, pulling open the door and turning around to force his bag into it. There was no answer behind him and when he turned to repeat the question the compartment was empty. Ron blinked and looked around. He could have sworn that he saw someone… He shrugged. At least he'd found somewhere to sit.

After a few minutes of simply staring out the window the door opened and a girl leaned in. It was the girl who Fred and George had said was muggle-born. "Is it alright if we sit in here?" she asked, walking in and sitting down before Ron could say anything, much to his annoyance. Behind her came a round-faced boy. Ron started in surprise. "Hey, aren't you -?"

"Neville Longbottom, yes!" said the boy, sounding both scared and exasperated. "Please don't go on at me, I've just had a bunch of people hold me up back there to talk to me…" he shuddered, clearly not happy with all of the attention he was getting.

Ron couldn't help but stare. The famous Neville Longbottom! Ron wanted to ask him what it had been like on that night - The Triumph of the Longbottoms Against Lord Voldemort all those years ago was still talked about to this very day.

"This is all very exciting," said the girl. "My name's Hermione Granger, what's yours?"

"Ron Weasley." said Ron.

"So what do you think of all this?" asked Hermione. "I've read up on Hogwarts in several books but I guess it's not the same as in real life is it? Have you tried any spells? I've tried a few at home since my abilities were first discovered but nothing special, just making things fly, making lights, that sort of thing. Had a go at transfiguration as well but it's harder than it looks. How about you?"

Ron and Neville looked at each other in confusion.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" cried Professor Dumbledore, his voice echoing around the Great Hall. "All of you new students will learn a lot of new, fascinating subjects!" He beamed down at everybody sitting at the house tables. "But all that starts later. For now, eat!"

Ron smiled as food appeared on all of the plates. He was starving. He tucked in instantly. Beside him Hermione and Neville did the same, Neville doing his best to ignore what people were saying about him. Truth be told, Ron found the pair slightly annoying, but was grateful to have made some friends at least.

"Blimey, I've no idea what Snape's going on about," moaned Ron, looking up from his Potions homework. He looked over at Hermione, who was rolling up her parchment. "It's only going to get harder Ron," she pointed out. She picked up Neville's homework while he was distracted talking to the other students and insisting that he had nothing to do with Voldemort's downfall.

"Hermione, look out!" cried Ron, throwing himself and Hermione aside, Quirrell's spell hitting the spot they had been a split second later. They took cover behind a desk that Neville was cowering behind, trying to frantically think up some spells.

"Foolish children," hissed Quirrell. "Did a bunch of first years think they could take on the most loyal servant of the Dark Lord?" As if to emphasise the pot he fired a round of spells at the desks next to the one they were crouching behind, sending them all flying.

Ron was terrified and no spell could come to his head. He felt Hermione's hand on his. "I think I've got an idea…" she hissed. "If we were to hit him at the same time…?"

Ron nodded wordlessly and braced himself. He wasn't sure if ny first year spells could effect Quirrel but it might buy them time to escape. Hermione began to countdown. "3…"

"Perhaps your bodies will serve to show how close the return of the Dark Lord is," said Quirrell.

"2…"

"Especially that of his target all those years go," laughed Qurriell, now talking to Neville. "With your death he will be invincible."

"1…"

Quirrell raised his wand. "Yes, we shall start with -"

"NOW!" cried Hermione. Both she and Ron leapt to their feet, wands raised…

"Look, do you see who it is?"

"It's Ron Weasley! He helped Neville Longbottom defeat Professor Quirrell last year!"

"No way! He's actually friends with Neville Longbottom?"

Ron rolled his eyes. Did these people honestly think he couldn't hear them? Ever since the climatic events at the end of his first year he, Hermione and Neville had been the subject of a lot of gossip around Hogwarts. They felt like they were a bunch Destrals (3). He had to admit that he was annoyed that Neville was receiving all of the credit, especially since it had been Hermione's quick thinking that saved them. And what some of them were saying was so farfetched he couldn't figure out how they had come to such conclusions.

A particularly starstruck group of first year girls suddenly appeared in front of them. "Hi Ron!" one of them squeaked brightly, turning a bright red in the progress. "Is it true that you fought Professor Quirrell in a duel single-handed?'

Before Ron could answer the other girls started asking and before he knew it he was bombarded with questions. "What spells did you use?" "Was it scary?" "Would you do it again?"

Shrugging them off, Ron ducked down one of the other corridors and hurried away from them. The sooner he was back in the Gryffindor Common Room the better.

Ron narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at his surroundings. Was it him or was the corridor getting darker? The torches on the walls didn't seem to be giving out much light all of a sudden…

"_Ron…_"

Ron froze. "Who's there?" he cried. He felt a chill go down his spine. There was someone down at the far end of the corridor. Their face was in shadow but Ron could somehow tell that they were looking right at him.

"Who are you?" he shouted, walking forwards determinedly.

Suddenly the corridor seemed to grow brighter again, revealing the clearly empty corridor ahead of him. Ron froze on the spot. Had that been a ghost? Ghosts were usually a bit more friendly than that…

"I'm sure it is just your imagination. " said Hermione dismissively.

Ron glared at her. He'd thought she'd be a bit more supportive of him after his encounter and with her constant reading of _Hogwarts - A History_ he'd hoped she might have found something in there that old explain it. He turned to Neville to see what he thought. "It does seem very unlikely," said Neville, not meeting Ron's gaze and trying his best to ignore a group of first years who were all staring right at him. "My Parents and my Gran all came here before I did and they've never mentioned anything like that ever happening."

Ron was about to reply when he suddenly felt a pair of arms around his neck. 'Hello ickle hero!" said George, hugging Ron tightly.

"Gerroff!" cried Ron, struggling unsuccessfully.

Behind them Fred laughed. "We'v noticed all of the attention you've been getting since last year and thought you could do with these." He reached into his pocket and held up a wad of papers for Ron to see.

"Signed photos of you when you were just a baby!" said Fred, laughing his head off. "Bet you they'll sell like hot cakes!"

"Why don't you just grow up?" snapped Hermione suddenly, glaring at the twins. Fred and George both laughed and walked away, jokingly calling out if anybody would like to buy the photos. "They're only messing around you know," said Ron.

"Well they shouldn't be so rude about it," said Hermione, returning to her homework. Ron couldn't help but smile at this.

It was during lunch break when Ron heard it. They were eating in the Great Hall when he heard someone call his name, but when he turned around he couldn't make out who had said it. "Did you hear who that was?" He asked. "Hear what?" asked Hermione, while Neville just shook his head without looking up from his food. Ever since the incidents with Quirrell in the first year and the Hydroleigh (4) in the second Neville was doing his very best to keep a low profile, not helped by his repeated exploits. Ron always thought that he'd enjoy having a reputation like Neville's, but then Neville's parents had been the ones to finally defeat the Dark Lord. Ron certainly had thought that Neville would have been better at lessons then he was though.

"I thought I heard someone calling me," said Ron, scanning the room once again. "No idea who it was though."

He sat back down and registered that Hermione was giving him a funny look. "What?"

"Ron, are you okay?" she asked. "No one said anything."

"But I heard it!" protested Ron. "I definitely heard it. It's like that ghost I keep seeing."

But now both Hermione and Neville were giving him funny looks. Ron frowned. "You do believe me don't you?"

It happened again during Defence Against The Dark Arts. Ron was trying to follow what Professor Willow was talking about when he suddenly heard the voice behind him. "_Ron_…"

Ron spun around in his seat. "WHAT?" he bellowed.

Dean Thomas looked back at him in surprise. The whole class fell silent. "Something to share, Ron?" asked Professor Willow finally.

Ron sat back down, too embarrassed to do anything else.

Fortunately for Ron he didn't have any more encounters with the persistent ghost for the rest of the year. However he did notice something else - Hermione was becoming increasingly short with both him and Neville and she had started to disappear at odd times.

Things came to a head one evening when Ron found her alone and fast asleep over a huge pile of books. He went over and shook her by the shoulder. "Hermione?"

Hermione awoke with a start and looked around in confusion. "Wh-what time is it? Where am I?"

"In the common room. It's around half 10."

Hermione shrieked and leapt to her feet, fumbling through her pockets frantically. "How can I have slept through the whole afternoon? I've got to -" A golden amulet fell out of her pocket. Ron caught it before it landed on the ground. "What's this?" he asked, looking closely at it. It seemed to have an hourglass in the middle.

"A Time Turner, give it back!" snapped Hermione, snatching it from him. "I've got to go back and catch up on what I missed." She fumbled with the Time Turner and cursed as it slipped from her fingers.

"You're using a Time Turner?" asked Ron incredulously. "For _lessons?_"

"Yes," replied Hermione, "Professor McGonagall gave it to me. Because of all of the subjects I've signed up for it's the only way I can attend all of them." She tried to operate the Time Turner again, only to give up and sitting back onto her chair. "I'll go back in a bit, I'm so tired…"

"Have you ever thought of dropping a few subjects?" asked Ron. "Because you look like you can't handle it!" he said hurriedly as Hermione glared at him.

"I don't know…"

Ron snatched up her timetable and scanned it intently. "Well you can give up Dvination, you're always moaning about how rubbish it is… And why are you doing Muggle Studies? That can go…"

Hermione smiled up at him. "Thanks".

After a relatively quiet third year the school was in a furore. The Triwizard Tournament was coming to Hogwarts! Ron couldn't believe it. He knew that there was no chance of him entering, but watching it should be really something. The only bad thing about it all was that he couldn't try out for the Qudditch Team just yet, but on reflection he definitely wasn't good enough yet.

"_Ron…_"

Oh no, not now… Ron looked around and wasn't surprised to see the shadowy figure at the far end of the corridor. "Who are you?" demanded Ron, storming forwards.

He expected the figure to disappear as he approached it but it didn't. Instead, for a split second Ron found himself face to face with a person, not much older than him. the only features he could make out were a pair of glasses and a scar of some sort on it's -

The figure vanished.

_Suddenly he was back in the darkness. He felt like he was suffocating. Only this time, there was someone else there._

_"Ron?"_

_He could see them not too far away. They had their back to him hands outstretched as if looking for something._

_"Ron?"_

_Ron stretched his hand out to him. He opened his mouth to call out to him. Somehow he knew this person's name._

_"Hhhhhh-"_

_For some reason it wouldn't come out. Ron tried again. "Hhhhhhaaaaaaa-"_

Ron opened his eyes and sat up in alarm. That dream had been so vivd… He had had it several times now and each time it seemed more vivid, each time it lingered in his memory for a little longer. What was happening to him? Was he going insane?

Ron shot forwards on his broom and caught the quaffle one handed before launching it back over the heads of the Ravenclaw Chasers. Below him the crowd erupted into a mass of cheering students. Ron hovered there, enjoying it all immensely.

When he had started his fifth year he'd never thought he'd get onto the Qudditch team after Oliver Wood had left and yet here he was! He looked down at the sea of changing faces and quickly spotted Hermione's beaming face in the crowd. He smiled down at her.

But there was something else. He felt his gaze drawn to it. There in the shadow of one the goals, there was someone standing there, blending with the shadow almost perfectly.

Ron dived towards it almost without thinking. He had to see who it was, he had to! He ignored the surprised looks of everyone around him, staring intently at the figure…

… A figure that was no longer there, if it had ever been there at all. Ron blinked and pulled up. Had he imagined it?

He suddenly became aware of the shouts of everyone around him and realized how this all looked. Shouting apologies he quickly flew back up to the goals, his face flushing a deep scarlet as he did so. He looked down at Hermione in the middle of the jeering faces. Ron smiled apologetically at her, even though she probably couldn't see it.

"So I understand that you are having problems with a spectre, Mr. Weasley."

Ron shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. Dumbledore stared at him intently over this desk. Unexpectedly he smiled kindly. "There is no need to be surprised. Madame Pomfrey and Professor Willow alerted me to your crisis."

Ron nodded wordlessly. He had tried talking to both members of staff when the 'spectre' as Dumbledore put it, had become particularly frequent. They had tried recommending several charms and ailments to him and for a time it seemed like they had worked, but whatever it was had kept on coming back. Finally the other student had started to notice and it was beginning to affect his work. The attempts by other students to fake it in order to affect his Qudditch playing hadn't helped.

He hadn't told anyone about the dream, it didn't seem to occur as much as the spectre did and he had thought that it would disappear when the spectre did as well.

"It certainly is a most interesting case. I have looked into the matter quite extensively and have found nothing like it," said Dumbledore, gesturing to a pile of books on the side of the desk. "I am unfortunately forced to come to the conclusion that it is all in your head."

Ro's heart sank. He had been hoping this wasn't the case, but it was true. He was cracking up. He'd never cut it as a wizard…

"Don't worry," said Dumbledore kindly. "It happens to a lot more people than you'd think. The pressure os learning the magical arts can be very great and daunting to students, especially for those in the latter years of Hogwarts, such as yourself."

"So what are you saying, sir?" asked Ron.

"Ignore it," said Dumbledore simply. "Focus on your studies and being with your friends and family. Soon you will no longer be bothered by it."

Coming from Dumbledore, the advice seemed to make a lot of sense and Ron took it to heart. He saw the figure a few times over the next few months but forced himself to not look at it or acknowledge its existence in any way. Gradually the figure began to appear less distinct, until finally Ron wasn't seeing it at all. At the same he found that he had the recurring dream less and less. For the first time in a long while, he finally began to feel comfortable in his surroundings.

Oddly enough whenever Ron looked back on his time at Hogwarts he found his memories seemed fragmented, as if the entire thing had passed by in one long blur apart from a few select moments. But one day that would stand out for him forever was their last day at Hogwarts.

It was a very muted day for the Seventh Years. Whereas all of the other students would be coming back they were not (5). A lot of Seventh Years were very emotional on their last day.

Ron was alone in his dormitory packing when Hermione walked in. "All set?"

"Yeah," said Ron, closing and shutting his trunk. "You okay?"

Hermione nodded but he could see that she was close to tears. He moved forwards and embraced her. Hermione sighed. "I am going to miss everything here so much."

She leaned back and looked at him, their arms still around each other. Without even thinking they started to lean in towards each other…

"Guys?" said a voice. They both froze. Standing in the doorway was Neville, looking as downcast as anybody who had final results like his would be. "Its time to go. Ready?"

Ron nodded breathlessly as Hermione hastily left the room without looking at either of them. "Yeah mate, I'm ready." He grabbed his trunk and followed after them, leaving the room and Hogwarts behind him.

**Appendix**

(1) Although said in jest there were in fact plans for what was dubbed a "Chosen Course" planned for Hogwarts when it was originally founded. The concept was that each student would have to make their way through a gauntlet of challenges (accounts differ as to the nature of the course, with some sources saying it was a path through the Forbidden Forest and others saying it was a maze of corridors within Hogwarts itself). The general idea was that only the highest calibre of students would get through and thus give Hogwarts a very high standard of students. The idea was scrapped due to the fact that it would take too long for each individual student to do it and, more importantly, it was a bit unfair. Although Salazar Slytherin is thought to have come up with the idea (due to his own beliefs) it has never been confirmed who the idea originated from.

(2) Sounds like something from a kid's TV show.

(3) A creature related to Thestrals. Unlike their bad omen-related cousins the Destral can only be seen when one feels truly happy about themselves. As such Destrals tend to draw large crowds of people, who are just simply happy that they are able to see them.

(4) A large water-dwelling creature that looks like a spider except with a body that is said to be actually be physically made of water, although the creature is seldom seen and is very dangerous. Feraldin Furoe's book, the posthumously published 'Life on the Lake - The Behaviour Pattern of the Hydroleigh' is the only real source of information on the creature.

(5) Although in unfortunate mixup involving House Elves, exam results and the kindling for the fires did mean that the Seventh Years of '87 had to return and retake their exams.


	27. The Joining

-Chapter Twenty Five-

_The Joining_

Ron stood before the mirror, fumbling with his bow tie. He grumbled to himself as he once again failed to tie it correctly. There was a knock on the door and his Mum walked in.

"An owl arrived from the Grangers, they'll be leaving soon…" she tailed off, looking at Ron. "You look so smart right now," she said finally, fighting back tears.

"Can't I just wear some robes or something?" asked Ron. "I feel like a Laykin (1)."

"Of course you can't!" snapped his Mum, grabbing the bow tie and tying it on quickly. "There are traditions to follow! Now, hurry up and come down, everybody's waiting!" She turned and hurried out of the room, muttering about the hundreds of things still lot do under her breath.

Ron sighed. Why did weddings have to be so complicated?

Ron took his time coming down the stairs. As the babble of voices grew louder he seemed to slow down even more. He was a nervous wreck yet at the same time he felt on top of -

Suddenly he was face to face with someone a bit younger than him who had the face of a stranger yet Ron felt he'd known him for most of his life and the ground was shaking and

"ROOOOOOOOOON!"

Ron cried out and fell backwards. It was here! After so many years he thought he'd been free of it, but no!

Suddenly the kitchen door was flung open and his Mother was hurrying over to him."Ron! What happened? Was it one of those tremors? I swear, they are getting worse and worse…" She pulled him to his feet and fussed over him, brushing dust off his clothes and straightening his bow tie. "Now stop dawdling, everybody's here!"

Ron walked into the room to find himself hailed by seemingly every single member of the Weasley family. He put up with Fred and George's good-natured teasing as well as Percy's attempt at a speech. He patiently sat through all of his aunts and uncles congratulations and Great-Aunt Muriel's "I never thought you'd get married, Ronald, and certainly not to a muggle-born!" Before his mother announced it was time to head to the church, causing Ron to be attacked with a fit of nerves. His father, obsessed with all things Muggle, had hurried down there to get a good look at everything before the ceremony began and Charlie and Bill had hastily accompanied him to make sure he didn't break anything.

The St. Mary's Church was on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole and was used by the residents of the town for various activities, be they muggle or wizard. It was such a nice day that the Weasleys decided to walk down to town together, catching a lot of funny looks from the muggle residents. ("A lot of weird people about today!" one old woman muttered.)

Ron tried being chatty, became increasingly quiet as they walked towards the church and the pre-wedding jitters inevitably set in. Ginny smiled encouragingly at him and squeezed his hand in order to keep him focussed. Ron could see how excited she was for him. Despite his own terror the mood was generally jovial (2), only interrupted by an earth tremor.

The tremors had started just over a year ago. They had been ignored at first but as their strength and frequency grew there were concerns about what could be causing it, such as what was left of Voldemort's followers or some other Dark Wizards, such as Vinear Laval (3). Ron had been part of a team of Aurors that the Ministry of Magic had formed to investigate the issue but after following several leads they had come up with nothing. Another group had been tasked to come up with whys of stopping the tremors without success. Despite this the people of the Wizarding World carried on their lives, confident that it would all be sorted.

And, much to Ron's relief, none of the party was a dark spectre staring right at him.

They arrived at the church to find several friends of the family waiting. "Hello Molly!" said Amos Diggory, embracing her tightly. "Thankyou again for inviting us." Cedric shook hands with Ron warmly. "Congratulations, Ron," he said kindly. "You must be over the moon!" Ron smiled weakly, not trusting his voice to say anything. He'd always been jealous of Cedric at school - one of the best seekers on the Hufllepuff Quidditch team, always getting the girls following him - but in the years getting to know him after Hogwarts he was a nice guy really and utterly dedicated to his parents - the three seemed to be inseparable these days and Cedric didn't even seem interested in getting a place of his own.

Neither did Neville. He, his parents and his Gran all greeted him. Ron was at a bit of a loss for words at meeting the two people who had finally defeated the Dark Lord, but they were very pleasant towards him. Neville's Grandmother was very loud and boastful of her family's accomplishments and Ron couldn't help but feel that there would be trouble if she were ever to talk to Great-Aunt Muriel. Neville was his usual meek self but Ron was glad to see him again.

There were also a few unexpected guests. "Professor Dumbledore!" exclaimed Ron. "What are you doing here?"

"Wouldn't miss this for the world," said Dumbledore, smiling benevolently. "I always try to keep in touch with former Hogwarts Students. And," he added, lowering his voice so that only Ron could hear him. "I'm pleased that you've overcome those problems that were hounding you."

Ron's throat felt dry. This was it. Fate (4) had given him a chance. All he had to do was to tell Dumbledore about what he had just seen. But that could mean postponing the wedding…

"Yes, sir," Ron whispered back. "And thanks."

Another of the unexpected guests was Professor Willow. Like Dumbledore, he was pleased to see how well Ron had done. ("How could I not attend the wedding of my two favourite students?") but Ron still felt there was something odd about him being there, especially as when no one would talk to him his face would suddenly take on a deadly serious look and he took almost as great a fascination in the church as Ron's father did, strolling from room to room, examining everything intently.

Other people from Hogwarts and the Ministry were present. Ron was thrilled when Hagrid arrived, clutching a bouquet of flowers almost as big as he was. "Sorry I'm late!" he cried, "Had ter pick up some flowers for the occasion." He dropped the flowers on a nearby table and then shook hands with Ron a little too heartily. "Big day for yeh, Ron. Can't believe that it's happening, yeh and Hermione…" He let go of Ron's hand (much to his relief) and pulled out a large handkerchief from his pocket and blew his nose loudly, much to the distaste to several people around them. "Always get emotional at these things…" muttered Hagrid as he hurried away.

Ron found his Father inside the church. He must have been examining everything he could find for hours but still rushed around with the same level of enthusiasm. "Look at this Ron!" he cried excitedly, holding up a book. "It's the children's version of the muggle's holy book. Look! The pictures don't even move!" He flicked through it a few times before putting it down as he saw Ron's lack of enthusiasm. "What's wrong?"

Ron opened his mouth but no sounds came out. He had to tell someone about this persistent spectre but it was no good. He could not simply get the words out.

"I get it," said his Father, a smile slowly appearing on his lips. "Nerves."

Ron tired to force the words out as his Father placed a comforting arm around him. "Ron, today is a very important day for you and Hermione. I know your Mother is panicking about every little thing but let me tell you something - she was exactly the same on our wedding day, but it couldn't have gone better. And I'll tell you something else," he leaned forward and whispered in Ron's ear. "I was even more nervous than you." Ron looked back at him in surprise. His father winked at him.

Ron smiled. "Thanks."

Before Ron knew it, it was time. He heard the sound of a horse and thestral drawn carriage (5) and his Mother was all over him, straightening out his tie, tidying his hair, while trying very hard not to cry. "All right, all right Mum!" insisted Ron. His mother hurried away, leaving Ron alone in front of the pews. He looked at the sea of faces in front of him. He felt a fear like no other in his chest.

Then the door opened and Hermione strolled in.

Ron's heart skipped a beat. She looked simply beautiful. Her wedding dress was the purest white he had ever seen and bouquet she clutched in her hands were full of a combination off Muggle and Wizard plants. The organist struck up a tune as she walked down, accompanied by one of the Weird Sisters. They both tried to ignore the funny-looking instruments each other was playing. Hermione reached where Ron was standing and or a few moments the two of them stared at each other.

"Ready?" whispered Ron.

"For the rest of my life?" Hermione whispered back. "Of course!"

Despite the sheer length of the day so far, neither Ron and Hermione would forget a single moment of it. Even the vicar slowly droning on and the endless hymns and wizarding songs couldn't put a damper on their special day. Ron had felt a warm glow inside him from the minute he had seen Hermione walk in and he knew that it would never stop now.

Finally the end of the ceremony approached. "If any person here has reasons why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace." Silence rang out through the hall.

Ron couldn't resist. Even though he knew no one would say anything he could help but look over his shoulder just to be sure.

Standing in the aisle was the spectre.

"No…" Whispered Ron.

"You're not supposed to say anything!" hissed Hermione.

Ron ignored her. The figure had started walking towards him.

"Is there a problem?" asked the vicar suddenly. He suddenly gasped. "My word…"

And now other people were turning in their chairs. All of them were staring at the figure as it walked down the aisle . Some people were talking amongst themselves but one thing was clear to Ron.

They could all see it.

Beside him Hermione gasped at the sight of the figure. Ron instantly stepped in front of her, drawing his wand out. Enough of this. Several other people were doing the same. "I don't know who you are mate, but if you take one step closer there'll be trouble."

The figure carried on. it seemed to be getting more solid with every step. Ron could see it's features beginning to appear, it's mouth opening to say something. His nerve failed him and he stepped back, pushing Hermione with him. "Why don't you just go away?" he yelled. Several opeopel were sliding down the pews in an effort to get away from the figure, blocking those who were frantically scrambling forwards to help Ron and Hermione. He could see Willow drawing his wand while Dumbledore watched the entire thing with an unreadable expression that could have been interest. He seemed to be muttering something under his breath.

Suddenly Cedric broke free of his pew. Ignoring the shouts of protest from his parents, he charged up to the figure. "Get away from him!"

The flash was both bright and dark at the same time. For a split second Cedric and the figure were briefly illuminated in the strange light. Then it vanished and they were both gone. In their place stood a stranger.

No, not a stranger. For as Ron stared at him he suddenly realized who it was. Beside him Hermione shrieked. A name jumped unprompted to his lips.

"Harry Potter!"

**Appendix**

(1) A creature with any layers of skin, each one with a different texture and appearance. A Laykin goes through several stages of shedding throughout its life and as each layer of skin has different properties they are keenly sought after. As a result they are now very rare and considered almost extinct.

(2) Great-Aunt Muriel has a habit of bringing percentages down.

(3) An old, senile wizard who believes that he originates from a faraway land called Dulkis and is obsessed with recreating it. Despite his delusions is a highly talented in the Dark Arts.

(4) Some Wizards believe in fate, others make it. Some like to catch it and study it. Those wizards aren't very fun.

(5) Due to the nature of the wedding and Arthur Weasley's obvious enthusiasm for muggle weddings it was decided to have the carriage pulled by both horses and thestrals, which resulted in some odd looks from the resident muggles to say the least.


End file.
